A Group of Experts met on 18 March, to discuss the
feasibility of establishing immunization programs against hepatitis B virus
within the EPI (see EPI/TAG8/90-17). They discussed and reviewed the
epidemiology of hepatitis B in the Region of the Americas, the overall impact
f the disease, analyzed the costs and benefits of the introduction of the vaccine
within the EPI, and discussed vaccination strategies. Several pilot Studies
that have taken place in Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Honduras,
Mexico, Venezuela, and Trinidad were reviewed and discussed. Future Project and
the implications of widening the use of the vaccine were considered and several
recommendations were made. |