CDC and Progress toward Integration of HIV, STD, and Viral Hepatitis Prevention

Abstract

This issue of Public Health Reports highlights approaches employed by state and local health programs to integrate viral hepatitis prevention services in correctional facilities, sexually transmitted disease (STD) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention and treatment programs, and other settings serving high-risk clients. The reports presented in this issue demonstrate the feasibility of integrating viral hepatitis prevention services into a variety of settings; the ready acceptance of new interventions, such as hepatitis B vaccination and hepatitis C counseling and testing, by both providers and clients; and the positive impact the introduction of viral hepatitis prevention services can have on client willingness to consent to other interventions, such as HIV testing. These reports also illustrate the initiative of state and local health officials to craft integrated programs tailored to meet local needs.1–3 Although not representing formal evaluations, the data from these demonstration projects add to a body of evidence indicating that, given adequate guidance and resources, state and local health agencies can integrate services to enhance the prevention of HIV, STDs, and viral hepatitis.