Italian version

The hepatitis vaccine appears to be useless: especially in relation to those reasons that made it mandatory for Italian children. An Italian study based on data which was gathered over 24 years, showed that children and youths who were infected with the hepatitis b virus have never developed serious forms of chronic hepatitis or ever risked liver carcinoma. This proved true in cases in which interferon was used as well as in cases in which no therapy was performed. Therefore, why does the hepatitis vaccine, with all of the possible harm that it could cause, become mandatory in order to avoid exactly those consequences that today are not so foregone?

Data resulting from a study performed by Italian researchers at the university of Naples (Federico ll)and published last month on Clinical Infectious Disease (Iorio R. et al. Clin Infect Dis 2007 Oct 15;45(8):943-9. Epub 2007 Sep 7). merit deep reflection.

Children and youths between the ages of 2-18 who had been infected by the hepatitis b virus were monitored for 24 years after the infection. They never developed a serious worsening of the disease. The chronic form of hepatitis that appeared after the infection always remained limited to a light or moderate form.

An evolution towards severe chronic hepatitis or the development of a hepatic carcinoma never occurred.

Around half of the youths monitored had been treated with Interferon while the other half had not had any type of "biological" treatment with this substance.

The results in the the two groups (interferon and not) didn't reveal any sort of difference.

Two questions come to mind at this point: why was the hepatitis b vaccine, along with its possible side effects that are probably worse than the disease itself, requested and made mandatory only in Italy (we are the only European country with this burden to bear)? And why is interferon used as the generally utilized therapy when letting the disease take its course could be more useful, thereby doing away with the costs and potential risks involved in the treatment with this substance?

Can we always be sure that costly innovations are useful with regard to the respect of the private citizen and the management of public health? For many people, this certainty is becoming ever more shaky.

Italian version