Vaccination contre l'hepatite B

Abstract

Despite a low endemic level in Switzerland, hepatitis B remains a major concern for public health. Safe and effective vaccines against hepatitis B virus are available. These vaccines should now be proposed not only to high- risk subjects, but also to all 11 to 15 year-old adolescents. Their immuno- genicity is still insufficient. There are as many as 5% of low-responders or non-responders to HBV vaccine who should receive additional boosters. This paper also reviews the long-term protection provided by hepatitis B vaccine in both responder and non-responder groups and the recently described problem of vaccine-escape mutants.