Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2001 Aug 7;165(3):293-7.

Past infection with hepatitis A virus among Vancouver street youth, injection drug users and men who have sex with men: implications for vaccination programs

J J Ochnio  1 , D Patrick, M Ho, D N Talling, S R Dobson
Affiliations

Past infection with hepatitis A virus among Vancouver street youth, injection drug users and men who have sex with men: implications for vaccination programs

J J Ochnio et al. CMAJ. .

Abstract

Background: In Canada, inactivated hepatitis A vaccines are targeted selectively at those at increased risk for infection or its complications. In order to evaluate the need for routine hepatitis A vaccination programs in Vancouver for street youth, injection drug users (IDUs) and men who have sex with men (MSM), we determined the prevalence of antibodies against hepatitis A virus (HAV) and risk factors for HAV in these groups.

Methods: The frequency of past HAV infection was measured in a sample of Vancouver street youth, IDUs and MSM attending outreach and STD clinics and needle exchange facilities by testing their saliva for anti-HAV immunoglobulin G. A self-administered, structured questionnaire was used to gather sociodemographic data. Stepwise logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between presumed risk factors and groups and past HAV infection.

Results: Of 494 study participants, 235 self-reported injection drug use, 51 were self-identified as MSM and 111 met street youth criteria. Positive test results for anti-HAV were found in 6.3% of street youth (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.6%-12.6%), 42.6% (95% CI 36.2%-48.9%) of IDUs and 14.7% (95% CI 10.4%-19.1%) of individuals who denied injection drug use. Among men who denied injection drug use, the prevalence was 26.3% (10/38) for MSM and 12% (21/175) for heterosexuals. Logistic regression showed that past HAV infection was associated with increased age and birth in a country with high rates of hepatitis infection. Injection drug use among young adults (25-34 years old) was a significant risk factor for a positive anti-HAV test (p = 0.009). MSM were also at higher risk for past HAV infection, although this association was nominally significant (p = 0.07).

Interpretation: Low rates of past HAV infection among Vancouver street youth indicate a low rate of virus circulation in this population, which is vulnerable to hepatitis A outbreaks. An increased risk for HAV infection in IDUs and MSM supports the need to develop routine vaccination programs for these groups also.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

None
Fig. 1: Prevalence of antibodies against hepatitis A virus (HAV) according to age and self-reported injection drug use.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Bell BP, Shapiro CN, Alter MJ, Moyer LA, Judson FN, Mottram K, et al. The diverse patterns of hepatitis A epidemiology in the United States — implications for vaccination strategies. J Infect Dis 1998;178:1579-84. - PubMed
    1. Notifiable disease annual summary 1997. Can Commun Dis Rep 1999;25 (S6): 119-21.
    1. BC reportable communicable diseases, annual summary 1998. Vancouver: UBC Centre for Disease Control; 1999. p. 23-5.
    1. Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Prevention of hepatitis A through active or passive immunization. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 1999;48(RR12):1-37. - PubMed
    1. BC reportable communicable diseases, annual summary 1997. Vancouver: UBC Centre for Disease Control; 1998. p. 21-3.

Publication types