State takes a shot at disease Hawai’i adolescents, living in a state where hepatitis B is easier to catch than in most places in the United States, could be safer from the potentially fatal disease under a new statewide immunization
State takes a shot at disease
Hawai’i adolescents, living in a state where hepatitis B is easier to catch than in most places in the United States, could be safer from the potentially fatal disease under a new statewide immunization campaign.
The state Department of Health, backed by the country’s deputy surgeon general, announced its plan Monday to immunize children 6 to 18 years old.
More than 110,000 children in that age range have received at least one dose of hepatitis B vaccine since 1996, but “our population is still very much at risk,” said Dr. Bruce Anderson, director of the health department.
In addition to vaccinating teens against the hepatitis, the new Teen Vax Project will target chickenpox, measles, mumps and rubella. The campaign is scheduled to continue through December 2002.
Lieutenant Governor Mazie Hirono noted Hawai’i adolescents are “at great risk of contracting hepatitis B, as our state has one of the highest chronic carrier rates in the nation.”
Joining Hirono and Anderson in Honolulu in announcing the attack on hepatitis and other potentially life-threatening diseases was Dr. Kenneth Moritsugu, a Hawai’i native who now is deputy surgeon general.
Moritsugu said campaigns like Hawaii’s can help stem the approximately 5,000 hepatitis B-related deaths nationally each year. Annually, as many as 200,000 people in the U.S. are infected with the disease, he added.
In addition to providing low-cost or free vaccinations, the state campaign will use television and radio announcements and posters at schools, stores and other public places to publicize the need for immunizations.
The state will also work with health insurers, hospitals and community organizations to encourage teenagers to get their shots, Anderson said.
“Hawai’i needs to maintain an aggressive approach in spreading the word about hepatitis B and ensuring that our teens are vaccinated,” he said.
