Then, in 1996, it was recommended for children up to 15 years. It was only in 2001 that the National Immunization Program
was extended to all teenagers up to 19 years of age [2]. Recent studies have demonstrated high hepatitis B vaccination coverage among Brazilian children and adolescents, with rates as high as 98% in South Brazil [3], [4], [5] and [6]. However, current adult vaccination coverage data consists only of estimates based on the number of doses administered among children less than 12 months of age and the estimated cohort. The achievement of high vaccination coverage in children, adolescents and adults could result in substantial changes in the hepatitis B infection panorama for the near future. Knowing the actual vaccination coverage in adults is important for the evaluation and improvement of current prevention strategies. This study aims to determine the HBV vaccination selleckchem coverage and HBV immunity in a population of young adult Air Force conscripts in the metropolitan
region of Florianópolis (MRF), Santa Catarina, South Brazil. This cross-sectional seroprevalence study was undertaken to determine vaccination coverage and HBV immunity in young adult males in the MRF, Santa Catarina. Apoptosis inhibitor The studied population consisted of all conscripts of the Brazilian Air Force at the Air Base of Florianópolis during a 1-year period beginning in June 2009. Military service is mandatory in Brazil, and every male must enroll for service at the selection commission in the year he turns 18, regardless of level of education or socioeconomic status. Each commission is responsible for the conscripts residing in a specific region according to the number of inhabitants of the location. All conscripts were invited to participate in Oxymatrine the study upon their arrival at the Air Force Base.
The invitation was extended before any evaluation or test to minimize selection bias. To successfully estimate vaccination coverage and HBV immunity in this population a minimum sample size of 289 volunteers was calculated to be sufficient at a 95% confidence interval (CI) and 0.05 alpha error (using an expected probability of HBV vaccination of approximately 75%) [7] and [8]. Approval for the study was obtained from the Ethics Committee of the Federal University of Santa Catarina (protocol 136/2009), and written informed consent was obtained from all study participants. A self-administered standard questionnaire, adapted from one previously established and tested [9], was provided to each subject. The questionnaire asked for socio-demographic characteristics including age, ethnicity, marital status, highest level of education achieved by the subject and his parents, residency, occupation and household monthly income.