1. Viral Hepatitis Prevention Board Secretariat
The Viral Hepatitis Prevention Board, 10 years of support to the control and prevention of viral hepatitis in Europe.
Alex Vorsters
Viral Hepatitis Prevention Board Secretariat
Centre for the Evaluation of Vaccination WHO Collaborating Centre for Control and Prevention of Viral Hepatitis
Unit of Epidemiology and Social Medicine University of Antwerp, Belgium

2. Content Viral Hepatitis Prevention Board (VHPB) VHPB activities
Hepatitis B control in Europe
Hepatitis B vaccination: How to reach risk groups.

3. Viral Hepatitis Prevention Board
The objective of VHPB is to contribute to the control and prevention of viral hepatitis
by drawing the attention to this important public health problem
by issuing prevention guidelines
and by encouraging actions to improve control and prevention.
VHPB focus audiences are, in first instance, opinion leaders, policymakers, and health care professionals.

4. Viral Hepatitis Prevention Board
VHPB is established in First actions related to hepatitis B as an occupational risk.
World Health Assembly sets in Hepatitis B Vaccination targets on the integration of hepatitis B vaccine into national childhood vaccination programmes.
In 1993, VHPB started a second major initiative and focused on hepatitis B as a community health risk.
The geographical focus was initially Western Europe, its actions are extended to include all 51 countries in the WHO/EURO

5. Viral Hepatitis Prevention Board
members
CDC, CVP/PATH, WHO/HQ, WHO/EURO, MOH, Universities
network of experts

6. Viral Hepatitis Prevention Board
Meetings
2 - 3 meetings/year
Viral Hepatitis Newsletter
2 issues/year
mailing to appr readers
Web site
Scientific publications
Participation at Scientific Meetings

7. Web site www.vhpb.org Web site Overview of the VHPB
Show all previous recommendations and consensus statements
All Viral Hepatitis issues as of 1996 can be downloaded
Presentations of VHPB meetings are one line since 2001

8. Meetings and Recommendations
The VHPB has already covered a broad range of control and prevention strategies for all forms of hepatitis
Surveillance
Universal programs
Injection safety and safe blood supply
HBV mutants and variants
Prevention and control of viral hepatitis in migrants and refugees
Behavioural issues in hepatitis B vaccination
How to reach risk groups
Combined vaccines
Economic evaluations

9. Support to the Introduction of hepatitis B vaccination in Europe
Prevention and control of hepatitis B in Central and Eastern Europe and the Newly Independent States. ( Siofock, Hungary, 1996)
Control of hepatitis B in Europe: Where are we in 1997 (Madrid Spain, Nov 1997) (Vaccine 16 (1998) S11-S16)
Strengthening immunisation systems and introduction of hepatitis B vaccine in Central and Eastern Europe and the Newly Independent States. (St Petersburg, Russian Federation, 2001)

10. HBsAg prevalence in WHO/EURO region

11. Hep B immunization programmes in WHO/EURO region, 1993

12. Hep B immunization programmes in WHO/EURO region, 1996

14. Hep B immunization programmes in WHO/EURO region, 2002

15. Universal adolescent programmes in WHO/EURO region, 2002

16. Prenatal screening in WHO/EURO region, 2002

17. Reported immunization coverage rate WHO/EURO, 1990-2001
WHO Regional Office for Europe

18. Hepatitis B vaccination: how to reach risk groups
VHPB meeting March 2001
Pre-meeting document online (
Invited experts to cover the different risk groups
Recommendations are available
Viral Hepatitis Issue Vol 10 N° 1
Meeting report in Vaccine 21 (2002)

20. Risk groups injecting drug users
health care workers and other workers with occupational risks for hepatitis B
sex workers
persons who engage in unsafe sexual behaviour
household contacts and other social contacts of persons with HBV infection
pregnant women and at-risk neonates
patients receiving blood or blood products, haemodialysis patients, and transplant patients
prisoners and prison staff
travellers

21. Number of immigrants from high-risk regions in Denmark, 1991-2000
Presented by Dr A-M Plesner, at VHPB meeting 2001 in Gent

22. Hepatitis B vaccination in sex workers
Vaccination coverage for sex workers appears to be very low in many countries
82% of 168 first time contacts in the Gent sex worker outreach programme were not protected (Viral Hepatitis Issue 10.1, R. Mak)
18 (11%) naturally acquired HB infection
12 (7%) vaccinated before start of sex work
Only one persons was vaccinated because of occupation as sex worker

23. VHPB plans for the future
Public health challenges for controlling HCV infection. (Viral Hepatitis issue)
Prevention of viral hepatitis in Italy: Lessons learnt and the way forward. (Viral Hepatitis issue)
Overview of the VHPB recommendations ( ) in a special Viral Hepatitis Issue.
Vaccine Safety meeting (March 2003)
Country meeting (Germany and Sweden, October 2003)
Review the viral hepatitis prevention situation in Central and Eastern Europe and the Newly Independent States (2004)

24.
Thank you