As part of the week of vaccination from 21 to 27 April 2008, the association Sida Info Service, through its telephone and Internet hepatitis Info Service, with support and advice from the Institute for Prevention and Social Research (PRRO) and CitéGAY.fr, launches website to promote vaccination against hepatitis B to the attention of gay and bisexual men:

www.unvaccinpourlesgays.fr

Hepatitis B is transmitted most often through sexual contact via blood, semen and pre-seminal fluid. In France, 8, 18% of the general population, or nearly 5 million people, has anti-HBc showing contact with hepatitis B. The prevalence rate is 42, 48% in the homosexual population and 15, 64% for reporting against 7 bisexual, 68% for those who declare themselves heterosexual *.

If, for most people, will be spontaneous healing, chronic hepatitis B affects about 300 000 people. Even without symptoms or pain, chronic hepatitis B can lead to cirrhosis or even liver cancer. These complications are more likely in people already infected with HIV.
Despite the current recommendations, vaccination rates against hepatitis B among gay and bisexual men remain particularly weak in France as in most Western industrialized countries, stressed Hervé BAUDOIN, Coordinator of the Shares for Gay AIDS Info Service. Multi-sex partnerships, practices at risk, prevalence rates high and HBV co-infections are factors and data leading to particularly recommend vaccination against hepatitis B to homosexuals and bisexuals.

The beaming of the campaign, "A vaccine for gays?? ", Is assumed facing a public health goal, the fight against hepatitis B, far less within the homosexual community. Hervé BAUDOIN: When we speak of vaccine to the gay community, we usually associate the term to the discovery of a hypothetical vaccine against HIV while there is an offer vaccination, one against hepatitis B, which provides health benefit to all persons with homosexual men, and referred particularly concerned by this campaign.

Philippe Adams, Director of the Institute for Prevention and Social Research (PRRO) adds: While vaccination is a proven benefit in terms of health, some gays do not feel really concerned because they feel protected by virtue of practice the "safer sex" to live as a couple or even to be HIV-positive. Based on the results of research conducted with John de Wit, we produced this site which allows both to correct some false beliefs and thus encourage gays to "make a plan" to go get vaccinated.

Through information and advice to prevent simple to put into practice combined with an interactive quiz, this website aims to intervene on the psychological barriers, social and structural limit the use of vaccination.

An automated system designed by PRRO, first generates messages tailored to each specific situation of users. Participants are encouraged to complete the intervention by a dialogue with a speaker of the hepatitis Info Service using the Web Service Call Back **. This dialogue aims to remove barriers to immunization faced and to help transform an intention to vaccination in a concrete action plan: where, when and how to be vaccinated?

Vaccination against hepatitis B is feasible with his doctor or the Information Center Screening and Diagnosis of Sexually Transmitted Infections (CIDIST) at CHR Orleans and it is supported by health insurance and your mutual.

At first, this action is carried out among gay and bisexual men of Ile-de-France in order to achieve empirical assessment before its possible extension to the entire territory. CitéGAY.fr is media broadcaster of the campaign and advised, with the PRRO, Sida Info Service for the design and implementation of this site. The intervention was made possible through funding from the regional grouping of Public Health Paris (GRSP idf) and technical support of the IDF DRASS led by Dr. Christine project Barbier.

The site is edited www.unvaccinpourlesgays.fr the attention of gay and bisexual men. It exists to the attention of the general population a toll-free number, anonymous and free, and a website to have all the answers to questions that the public or persons affected may be asked: 0 800 845 800 and www.hepatites Info service.org

* Estimated prevalence of HCV antibody and markers of hepatitis B among insured under the general scheme of metropolitan France, 2003-2004. InVS, CNAM, Cetaf

** The Web Call Back is a free service allowing the user who wants to be called by listening to a fixed or mobile phone of his choice in order to qualify for immediate maintenance. This service is already operating through the device AIDS Info Service with which 80% of reminders have requested towards laptops.