{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,14]],"date-time":"2026-10-14T18:05:09Z","timestamp":1792001109377,"version":"4.4.0"},"reference-count":63,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,9,27]],"date-time":"2023-09-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1695772800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Italian Ministry of Health \u201cFondi Ricerca Corrente\u201d to IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Vaccines"],"abstract":"<jats:p>In Italy, the vaccination campaign against hepatitis B virus has been characterized by two phases. In the first phase (1984\u20131991), vaccination with plasma-derived vaccines was first recommended for the high-risk group. In the second phase (1991\u2013nowadays), recombinant vaccine targeted, by law, infants 2 months old and teenagers 12 years old (limited to the first 12 years of campaign); screening for HBsAg became compulsory for all pregnant women during the third trimester of pregnancy. Successful achievements have been attained: No acute HBV case has been observed in the age group targeted by vaccination, the pool of chronic HBsAg carriers is strongly reduced, perinatal HBV transmission is under control, and acute delta virus hepatitis cases are nearly eliminated. The key point of this success has been the peculiar vaccination policy adopted. The combined vaccination of teenagers has generated an early immune cohort of youths, who are no longer at risk of acquiring HBV infection by sources of exposure (i.e., drug use and unsafe sex practices) typical of the young adults. Vaccination of household contacts with HBsAg-positive subjects represents an area of improvement; providing migrants and refugees access to healthcare services is also a focal point. In 2020, Italy became the first country in Europe to achieve the WHO\u2019s regional hepatitis targets.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/vaccines11101531","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,9,27]],"date-time":"2023-09-27T07:38:46Z","timestamp":1695800326000},"page":"1531","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":11,"title":["Vaccination Campaign against Hepatitis B Virus in Italy: A History of Successful Achievements"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"11","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6285-0412","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Tommaso","family":"Stroffolini","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Tropical and Infectious Diseases, Policlinico Umberto I, 00161 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Giacomo","family":"Stroffolini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Infectious-Tropical Diseases and Microbiology, IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital, Via Don A. Sempreboni, 5, Negrar, 37024 Verona, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,9,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"World Health Organization (2023, August 07). Hepatitis B, Key Facts, Available online: https:\/\/www.who.int\/news-room\/fact-sheets\/detail\/hepatitis-b."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"541","DOI":"10.1001\/jama.1965.03080070025007","article-title":"A \u201cNew\u201d Antigen in Leukemia Sera","volume":"191","author":"Blumberg","year":"1965","journal-title":"JAMA"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"473","DOI":"10.3109\/10408367109151315","article-title":"Australia Antigen and Hepatitis: A Comprehensive Review","volume":"2","author":"Blumber","year":"1971","journal-title":"CRC Crit. Rev. Clin. Lab. 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