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The European Journal of Public Health Advance Access originally published online on August 10, 2005
The European Journal of Public Health 2005 15(5):464-466; doi:10.1093/eurpub/cki145
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© The Author 2005. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association. All rights reserved.

Infectious Diseases

Prevalence of hepatitis A among drug users in north-eastern Italy

Is vaccination necessary in low prevalence areas?

Fabio Lugoboni1, Gianluca Quaglio1, Benedetta Pajusco1, Maurizio Foroni2, Gianstefano Blengio2, Giorgio Talamini3, Paolo Mezzelani1 and Don C. Des Jarlais4

1 Medical Service for Addictive Disorders, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Verona, Italy
2 Department of Hygiene and Public Health, ASL 22 Villafranca, Verona, Italy
3 Department of Internal Medicine, University of Verona, Italy
4 Edmond de Rothschild Chemical Dependency Institute, Beth Israel Medical Center, New York, NY, USA

Correspondence: Fabio Lugoboni MD, Medical Service for Addictive Disorders, University of Verona, Policlinico GB Rossi, 37134 Verona, Italy, e-mail: paolo.mezzelani{at}univr.it

Background: The authors report on the prevalence of, and risk factors for, hepatitis A virus (HAV) in a group of drug users in Italy. Methods: 404 heroin users were recruited and compared with a control group of 107 subjects in the general population. Results: Drug users born in north-eastern Italy have a prevalence of anti-HAV similar to the control group. A much higher prevalence was found in drug users born in southern Italy. Conclusion: The similar prevalence of anti-HAV in drug users born in north-eastern Italy and in the general population, suggests that their lifestyle does not involve a substantial additional risk of HAV. The much higher prevalence found in drug users born in southern Italy is more likely to be related to infection during infancy.

Keywords: HAV infection, heroin users, HAV vaccination


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