[Hepatitis B vaccination. Indications of the post-vaccine serologic test and booster doses]. / Vacunación de la hepatitis B. Indicaciones del test serológico postvacunal y la dosis de refuerzo.

The standard anti-HBV vaccination elicits protective anti-HBs levels (above 10 UI/l) in most people. However, the effective duration of immunologic memory is not well-known. Consequently, the recommendations on the postvaccination follow-up are not uniform: from vaccination with no follow-up blood test (anti-HBs levels) to regular follow-up blood tests for all vaccines. In unresponsive subjects a booster dose has been demonstrated to be effective. However, the optimal procedure for management depending anti-HBs levels has not been well established. Postvaccination antibody testing and regular testing for antibodies is recommended only to high-risk subjects, especially to health care workers and subjects with immunodeficiency. In these cases, the booster dose should be administered in nonresponders, and might include double doses. Unanimous consensus does not exist about to the appropriate timing for booster dose administration.

[Seroprevalence of hepatitis C virus infection at the time of entry to prison in the prison population in the north-east of Spain]. / Seroprevalencia de infección por virus C de la hepatitis en población reclusa del noroeste de España a su ingreso en prisión. Grupo Noroeste para el estudio de la Hepatitis por Virus C en el medio penitenciario.

BACKGROUND: Spanish prisons have a high number of inmates whose behaviour puts them at risk of being infected by hepatitis C virus (HCV). The object of this study was to establish the prevalence of this infection and its associated factors in the prison population of the north-east of Spain. METHODS: Inmates in seven prisons in the north-east of Spain were studied. Socio-demographic and prison variables were gathered, as well as risk factors for infection by HCV. Antibodies against HCV were determined (EIA and INNO-LIA HCV III), Hepatitis B virus (VHB) (EIA), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (EIA and Western-Blott). The analysis of associated factors was based on logistic regression. RESULTS: Of the total number of inmates studied, 47.9% presented HCV antibodies. There was greater prevalence in the case of the following: UDVP (89.6%); those who shared needles (94%); those infected by HIV (92.7%); carriers of Australia antigen (65.1%) and antibodies to the HBV core antigen (79.8%); those who had been in prison before (60.9%); unmarried men (54.8%); gypsies (52%); unqualified workers (50.4%); those who had no basic school qualifications (50.9%); those with tattoos (66.7%); and those with a background of self-inflicted injuries (79.3%). In the logistic regression analysis the variables associated to infection by HCV were: UDVP (OR = 33.3; I.C. 95% = 25-50), HBcAc (+) (OR = 4.1; I.C. 95% = 1.1-5.3), age (OR = 0.98; I.C. 95% = 0.96-1.00), months in prison (OR = 1.011; I.C. 95% = 1.004-1.019) and a background of previous prison sentences (OR = 2.3; I.C. 95% = 1.5-3.6). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of infection by HCV in prison inmates is very high. It is therefore recommended that preventive measures be increased (harm reduction programmes) and that clinical and analysis protocols be drawn up for those infected and for treatment in cases of chronic active hepatitis in order to control this serious public health problem.