BACKGROUND:
Florida's Hepatitis Program provides hepatitis awareness, education, intervention programs, surveillance, and research.

OBJECTIVE:
Protect Florida's adults by providing hepatitis A and hepatitis B vaccine.

METHOD:
Since 2000, the Florida Hepatitis Program has made available, at no cost to counties, hepatitis A and hepatitis B vaccines for adults at increased risk for hepatitis or its adverse consequences. Adult hepatitis vaccine administration is integrated into other public health programs, including immunization, STD, family health, WIC, HIV/AIDS, epidemiology, jail services, TB, and refugee health. Each of the 67 Florida counties participate in the adult hepatitis immunization program; only 9 of those receive funding for any hepatitis programs, personnel, or activities. In addition to series completion, the Hepatitis Program monitors progress toward vaccine coverage goals.

RESULT:
As of 09/30/2004, the counties used and coded 44,310 doses of hepatitis A vaccine and 84,667 doses of hepatitis B vaccine. For hepatitis A vaccine, there were 36,314 first doses and 7,996 second doses, a 22 % population series completion rate. For hepatitis B vaccine, there were 46,416 first doses, 24,530 (53 %) second doses, and 13,721 (56 % of those receiving dose 2) third doses, a 30 % population series completion rate.
Of the 67 counties, 2 ( 3 %) have vaccinated at least 60 % of high-risk (estimated hepatitis C positive) adults for hepatitis A; 12 ( 18 %) have vaccinated 26 % - 59 %, and 53 ( 79 %) have vaccinated 0 % -25 % of estimated high risk clients. Of the 67 counties, 1 ( 2 %) has vaccinated at least 60 % of high-risk (estimated hepatitis C positive) adults for hepatitis B; 13 (19 %) have vaccinated 26 % -59 %, and 53 ( 79 %) have vaccinated 0 % -25 % of estimated high risk clients.

CONCLUSION:
Public health providers, with community partners, are willing and able to provide adult hepatitis immunization services, even with no resources other than the vaccine. Vaccine availability, with the counties' freedom to integrate hepatitis vaccination services into other programmatic areas, is the key to maximizing limited hepatitis resources. Ability to expand the scope of the pediatric immunization registry to include adults would assist in vaccine accountability and individual client series completion rates

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
Participants will describe Florida's Adult Hepatitis Immunization Program and assess the program strengths and weaknesses.