Overview of the VHPB
>> History

In 1993, VHPB started a second major initiative, this time under the auspices of the European Public Health Association, and focused on hepatitis B as a community health risk.

In 1994 and 1995, VHPB expanded its activities to include the preventive aspects of hepatitis A and priority measures for the control of hepatitis C.

In 1996, VHPB has continued its activities on prevention and control of hepatitis B as both occupational and community health risks. In the same year, it has geographically expanded its activities to cover the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and the Newly Independent States (NIS). This resulted in the organisation of a successful meeting on 'Prevention and Control of Hepatitis B in Central and Eastern Europe and the Newly Independent States' (Siofok, Hungary), in collaboration with WHO and the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In 1997, special attention was given to the WHO recommendation indicating 1997 as the deadline for integrating hepatitis B vaccination into national immunisation programmes. A major VHPB meeting was held in Madrid on 'Control of hepatitis B in Europe: Where are we in 1997?'

A VHPB meeting on hepatitis B virus mutants was organised at the beginning of 1998. In October 1998 the French authorities temporarily suspended the widespread school-based adolescent hepatitis B vaccination programmes while continuing universal infant immunisation programmes. Concerns had been raised by reports of multiple sclerosis and other demyelinating diseases occurring in adults who had recently received hepatitis B vaccine. VHPB called together a panel of experts and reviewed the available data on multiple sclerosis and hepatitis B vaccine (Geneva, 1998).

During its spring meeting in Nice in 1999, VHPB reassessed the epidemiology of hepatitis A and discussed whether hepatitis A vaccine should be included in national vaccination programmes. Later that year specialists from different fields were gathered to discuss the prevention and control of viral hepatitis in migrants and refugees.

At the beginning of 2000, VHPB focused on behavioural issues related to hepatitis B immunisation. In October 2000 the economics of vaccination against viral hepatitis were reviewed.

In March 2001, the VHPB organised a meeting on Hepatitis B vaccination: how to reach risk groups? Just before summer, in June, an international meeting on "Strengthening immunisation systems and introduction of hepatitis B vaccine in Central and Eastern Europe and the Newly Independent States was held in St. Petersburg, Russian Federation. This meeting, in part a continuation of a meeting held in 1996 in Siofok and in part a regional GAVI training, was organised by the VHPB in collaboration with CDC, CVP/PATH, GAVI, UNICEF and WHO. In October 2001, during its autumn meeting in Malta, the VHPB reviewed all the relevant aspects of Combined hepatitis B vaccines.

The first meeting in May 2002 a WHO informal consultation with VHPB on the 'Public health challenges for controlling HCV infection' was held in Geneva, Switzerland. The meeting organised in November 2002 in Catania, Italy, on 'Prevention of viral hepatitis in Italy: lessons learnt and the way forward,' the first 'VHPB country meeting', was very interesting. Italy, a country that installed already in 1992 universal infant and adolescent hepatitis B vaccination programmes, can clearly be a model for other countries. Good examples of successful control and evaluation were provided during this meeting.

Hepatitis B safety issues was the topic of the first meeting of 2003. After a review of the potential adverse events following hepatitis B vaccination, the points of view regarding safety issues and new developments were discussed. The high and persistent impact of vaccination scares on hepatitis B vaccination coverage was described by various experts. Additionally, appropriate communication strategies to counter these alleged safety issues were discussed. The second meeting of 2003, with focus on Germany and the Nordic countries, had the format of a ‘VHPB country meeting’. For each country, the current epidemiological situation, surveillance systems, and prevention and control measures on viral hepatitis were described. The fact that several countries, with a quite different approach towards prevention of viral hepatitis, were analysed together, brought about interesting discussions.

In the beginning of 2004 world experts were gathered to review and present their long-term vaccine trial studies as well as  long-term efficacy, booster policy, and impact of HBV mutants on hepatitis B vaccination programmes. Investigating this new and challenging data, no scientific evidence for giving booster doses in fully immunised individuals was identified. However, additional information is still needed to answer remaining uncertainties. The second VHPB meeting was a country meeting focussing on France. These country meetings bring together national and international experts allowing very interesting discussions and a good exchange of information. Also the lessons learnt at this country meeting are definitely very valuable for other countries, e.g. the hepatitis B safety issue in France is still having an impact on the vaccination coverage, now 7 years later! In addition to the two ‘standard’ VHPB meetings, the VHPB was responsible for the scientific coordination of the third meeting on strengthening immunisation systems and introduction of hepatitis B vaccine in Central and Eastern Europe an the Newly Independent States.