Prevention and control of hepatitis B with  combined vaccines, and timely birth dose vaccination

July 15-26, 2018 - Hanoi, Vietnam

Meeting objectives:

• Take stock of the currently available/licensed combined hepatitis B vaccines in the different Asian Countries.
• Review the data on the hexavalent HB-Hib-DTPa-IPV vaccines: safety, immunogenicity, license, and availability in Asia. 
• Discuss the composition and clinical evidence for efficacy of the combined vaccines.
• Evaluate the combination of birth dose vaccination and combined vaccines in the universal immunization policy of a country;  practical and public health issues.
• Lessons learnt for countries who introduced already combined vaccines including hepatitis B in their immunization policy.
• Discuss the added value of combined hepatitis B vaccines in a global perspective of elimination of hepatitis B, taking into account WHO’s global and regional strategic goals.

Wednesday 25 July

SESSION 1: OPENING AND OBJECTIVES
Chairs: Pierre Van Damme – Duong Thi Hong 

09:00 – 09:20 Welcome and opening of the meeting

SESSION 2: INTRODUCTION: IMPORTANCE OF HEPATITIS B VACCINATION (COMBINED AND BIRTH DOSE) FOR THE ELIMINATION OF HEPATITIS B 

09:20 - 09:40 Progress and accomplishments of hepatitis B control through immunization in WHO WPRO region - .3.2Mb (.pdf)
Nihal Singh (WHO Country Office in Vietnam)

09:40 - 10:00 Questions and discussion

SESSION 3: USE OF COMBINED HEPATITIS B VACCINES 

Review of Combined Hepatitis B vaccines – accessibility and availability in the region

10:00 - 10:20 Prevention and control of hepatitis B with  combined vaccines, and birth dose vaccination - 3Mb (.pdf)
Yong Poovorawan (Thailand)

Immunogenicity and safety

10:20 - 10:40 Immunogenicity and safety of combined hepatitis B vaccines, European experience - 1.8Mb (.pdf)
Vana Papaevangelou (VHPB, Greece)                                                               

10:40 – 11:00 Immunogenicity and safety of a fully liquid hexavalent vaccine compared with the standard of care in infants in the Republic of Korea - 816Kb (.pdf)
Yae-Jean KIM (Republic of Korea)

11:00 – 11:20 Question and discussion

Immune memory

11:40 – 12:00 Long-term impact of infant hepatitis B immunization on hepatitis B prevalence: a systematic review and meta-analysis - 813Kb
John M Kaldor (Australia)

Immunization schedules and co-administration

12:00 –12:20 Hexavalent vaccines: hepatitis B antibody response and co-administration with other vaccines - 1.8Mb
Timo Vesikari (Finland) 

12:20 – 12:40 Question and discussion

SESSION 4: LESSONS LEART FROM THE USE OF COMBINED VACCINES
Chairs: Daniel Shouval – John M Kaldor 

13:40 – 14:00 In Europe - 2.4Mb
Johannes Hallauer (VHPB, Germany)

14:00 –14:20 In USA - 2Mb
John Ward (VHPB, CDC, USA)

14:20– 14:40 Question and discussion

SESSION 5: GROUP DISCUSSIONS/ BREAK OUT SESSION

Implementation of combined vaccines in the vaccination programmes, what are the successes, the issues and what do we need from a public health perspective. 

14:40 – 15:40 Group discussions 

16:00– 16:30 Presentation of the group discussions per WHO Region: 10 min each

WPRO (Cambodia, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam)

SEARO (India, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand)

16:30– 16:45 Question and discussion

SESSION 6: HEPATITIS B BIRTH DOSE VACCINATION
Chairs: Johannes Hallauer -  Timo Vesikari

16:50– 17:10 Seroprotection after hepatitis B vaccination among newborn infants: a review. - 919Kb
Rania Tohme (CDC, USA)

17:10 – 17:30 The sero-epidemiological study on the prevalence of hepatitis B among children and mother in Cambodia. - 2Mb
Junko Tanaka (Cambodia)

17:30– 17:45 Question and discussion

Thursday 26 July

SESSION 6: HEPATITIS B BIRTH DOSE VACCINATION (CONTINUED)
Chairs: John Ward - Yae-Jean KIM

09:00 – 09:20 Birth dose improvement projects in the Western Pacific Region -1.2Mb
Makiko Iijima (WHO Country Office in Vietnam)

09:20 – 09:40 The coverage of hepatitis B birth dose vaccination and barriers to timely vaccination in the Mekong Delta in Vietnam - 3Mb
Pierre Van Damme (VHPB, Belgium)

09:40 –10:00 Lessons learned from a rapid assessment to address low hepatitis B vaccine birth dose uptake in Vietnam following serious adverse events following immunization (AEFIs) -964Kb
Le Thi Thanh Xuan (Vietnam)

10:00 – 10:20 Improving timely hepatitis B birth dose vaccination through use of the vaccine outside the cold chain: The Asia Pacific experience. - 1.8Mb
Rania Tohme (CDC, USA)

10:20 – 11:00 Question and discussion

SESSION 7: WORKSHOP GROUP DISCUSSION: WHAT ARE THE NEEDS IN PUBLIC HEALTH TO IMPROVE THE COVERAGE AND THE  TIMELINESS OF THE HEPATITIS B BIRTH DOSE VACCINATION
Chairs: Rania Tohme – Vana Papaevangelou

11:20 – 12:20 Groups discussion 

12:20 – 12:50 Presentation out-come groups discussion

12:50 –13:00 Questions or comments

SESSION 8: MEETING CONCLUSIONS
Chairs: Pierre Van Damme –  WHO representative 

14:00 – 14:30 Meeting Conclusions -  0.8Mb
Matt Bolz-Johnson (rapporteur)

14:30– 15:00 Comments and Questions