Veinticinco años de vacunación sistemática frente a la hepatitis B de los preadolescentes en Cataluña

A description is presented on the planning and evaluation of the hepatitis B vaccination program for pre-adolescents in Catalonia, 25 years after it was started in 1991. For the incorporation of the vaccine into the systematic vaccinations calendar an analysis was made of the criteria (disease burden, safety, immunogenicity and protection efficacy of the vaccine, effectiveness, efficiency, and potential impact of the vaccination, compatibility with other vaccines and likely limited potential impact of selective vaccination). This was followed by choosing the most convenient strategy for the universal vaccination of the child population (elevated risk of infection and illness during adolescence and young adult age, and low risk in newborns, infants and small children, rapid impact on the incidence of cases, efficiency of the intervention, and likely increased vaccine coverage in schools). Lastly, the evaluation of the results of the targets set for the Program in the Catalonia Health Plan, are described.