Hepatitis B Control in Saudi Arabia

Introduction

To The Editor: Dr. Al-Traifs letter on hepatitis B (HB) control in Saudi Arabia¹ was of interest to us. We agree very much with his observations and suggestions. However, in response to his call for a policy to vaccinate schoolchildren, it is important to emphasize that this target population was included in the HB vaccination program which was approved by the Saudi government more than six years ago. In addition, adults who are at a high risk for exposure to HB are encouraged to volunteer for vaccination. Details of this strategy have been reported previously.² The effectiveness of the current approach needs a careful evaluation after it has been in operation for a reasonable period of time.