Hepatitis B outbreak in Moncton region
Moncton, September 28, 2016 – Public Health authorities inform the population that a hepatitis B outbreak is currently occurring in the Moncton region, especially among men who have sex with men (MSM).
According to Dr. Yves Léger, Medical Officer of Health (East Region), between 2003 and 2014, an average of 0.9 acute hepatitis B cases were reported each year. “However, in 2014, seven cases of acute hepatitis B were documented and almost all these cases (5/7) were MSM,” he stated. “No other risk factors were identified in these cases. In 2015, only one case was documented but since the beginning of 2016, four more have been identified, still among MSM. This confirms ongoing active transmission within this population.”
To fight this increase, Public Health authorities are launching an awareness campaign targeting the at-risk group and health professionals. According to Mariette Leblanc, Communicable Disease Coordinator with Public Health, it is important to inform the at-risk groups about the nature and consequences of hepatitis B. “People must also be informed about its transmission through sexual contact between men, the current outbreak, and the free vaccine available to MSM,” she explained.
The awareness campaign being launched today involves a number of components, including:
- Posters placed in the community in public locations such as large employers of males, arenas, community centres, businesses, and bars;
- Posters placed in health care settings such as family physicians’ offices and clinics in the Beauséjour Zone;
- Cards distributed on the outbreak and free vaccine;
- Information on hepatitis B posted on Vitalité Health Network’s website as well as on websites commonly used to find sexual partners.
