Health Dept to spread hepatitis immunisation net

Press, 1 December 1987, Page 6

Health Dept to spread hepatitis immunisation net

PETER LUKE,

in Wellington About 300,000 people will be Immunised against hepatitis B from early next year, as the Health Department mounts a $4.1 million extension to its immunisation programme. The . extension will cover all new-born babies not already immunised under the existing programme; all pre-school, children (about 250,000); and the household contacts and sexual partners of carrier mothers (about 7000). First steps towards a national campaign were, taken in September, 1985, when very high-risk babies bom to highly infectious carriers were immunised. Early this year, the campaign was extended to all babies bom in Northland, Takapuna, Auckland, South Auckland, Rotorua, Gisborne, and Napier. At the same time babies bora to all Infected carrier mothers were also vaccinated. This meant about half New Zealand’s

babies were being immunised. The $4.1 million over three years that Cabinet has approved for next year’s extension will be in addition to the $3.1 million, also over three years, for the earlier extension. New Zealand would be the first nation to have such a comprehensive national programme, said the department’s principal medical officer with the health protection programme, Dr Nigel Ashworth. Precise details of the extension — including whether high or low dose would be used — could not be finalised until tenders for supplying vaccine had been studied. The deadline for tenders is noon tomorrow. Dr Ashworth said that the price of vaccine had been decreasing. A low dose could only be used with plasma-derived vaccines, but if other vaccines were at a competitive price they would be looked at. Low doses would only

be used for people with a fairly low risk — babies bom to ordinary noncarrier mothers. Overseas studies had shown that four low-dose vaccinations gave a higher and longer-lasting immunity than three high doses, he said. The department’s chief health officer, Dr Karen Poutasi, said the campaign would be based around “informed consent.” “It is our job to convey to people the risks and the benefits and then have people make up their own minds.” The department estimated that between 60,000 and 90,000 New Zealanders were carriers of hepatitis B. "Children are particularly likely to get mild infection but are more likely to remain carriers for a longer period than adults because their immune system is not as highly developed, so we are concentrating our preventative measures on this group,” said Dr Ashworth.