Résumé :
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[BDSP. Notice produite par INIST 4R0xuE11. Diffusion soumise à autorisation]. Hepatitis B is a major public health problem and remains an important infection in the community despite the availability of safe and effective vaccines since more than 15 years. Because hepatitis B infection is largely asymptomatic, with possible longterm complications occuring after many years, it has not received the attention it deserves. The failure of the high risk immunization strategy and a better understanding of the burden of disease of hepatitis B, have caused a profound re-evaluation of the current vaccination strategies (1,2). Government delegates to the World Health Assembly agreed in May 1992 that all countries should integrate hepatitis B vaccination into their national immunization programmes by 1997 (3). In western Europe, some countries still remain unconvinced that the burden of disease warrants the expense of universal vaccination. However, epidemiological data emphasize the necessity for action. In addition, economic evaluations showing that universal hepatitis B vaccination is cost-effective in low-endemic countries, indicate that control of hepatitis B by universal immunization is attainable.
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