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Do selective immunisation against tuberculosis and hepatitis B reach the targeted populations? A nationwide

Berit Feiring1, Ida Laake1, Tor Molden1

  • 1Norwegian Institute of Public Health, PO Box 4404 Nydalen, 0403 Oslo, Norway.

Vaccine
|March 8, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Selective vaccination policies for tuberculosis (BCG) and hepatitis B (HBV) vaccines in Norway showed lower coverage in targeted groups compared to universal vaccines. This highlights challenges in reaching at-risk children, suggesting a need for improved strategies or consideration of universal immunization.

Area of Science:

  • Public Health
  • Immunology
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Selective immunization strategies aim to vaccinate children at increased risk for specific diseases.
  • In Norway, BCG (tuberculosis) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccines are selectively offered to children whose parents are from high-burden countries.
  • The study evaluates the effectiveness of this selective vaccination policy in reaching its intended high-risk populations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess whether Norway's selective immunization policy for BCG and HBV vaccines successfully reaches targeted at-risk children.
  • To compare the vaccine coverage rates of BCG and HBV vaccines with those of universally administered vaccines within the target groups.

Main Methods:

  • A population-based study included 240,484 children born in Norway between 2007-2010 and residing until age two.
  • Data on vaccinations, parental country of birth, and residency were linked using national registries.
  • Coverage of BCG and HBV vaccines was compared against pertussis and measles vaccines in targeted and non-targeted populations.

Main Results:

  • Approximately 16% of children were identified as target groups for BCG and HBV vaccines.
  • BCG and HBV vaccine coverage (83.6% and 90.0%) in target groups were significantly lower than universal vaccines (98.6% for pertussis, 92.3% for measles).
  • Vaccine coverage was highest among children with parents from South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa; universal vaccine coverage was consistent across targeted and non-targeted groups.

Conclusions:

  • Selective vaccination for BCG and HBV in Norway faces challenges, with lower coverage in targeted populations compared to universal programs.
  • There is a need for enhanced identification and delivery systems for targeted vaccines.
  • Universal vaccination for BCG and HBV could be considered as an alternative to improve coverage in at-risk groups.
Abstract

Keywords:
BCG vaccineHepatitis B vaccineImmunisation programmeImmunisation registrySelective vaccinationTuberculosis

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