Gambia Hepatitis Intervention Study
Estudio de la vacuna contra la hepatitis B en Gambia
- Date
- 1986-2008 · confidence high
- Place
- Banjul, The Gambia
- Credited to
- Hilton Whittle, Andrew Hall, Maria Chiara Viviani and colleagues (MRC Gambia)
- Field
- Life & health
What was discovered
In 1986 The Gambia began vaccinating newborns against hepatitis B and set up a registry to see its effect on liver cancer. It was the first major study showing that childhood vaccination prevents chronic infection and hepatocellular carcinoma.
The cancer results were published decades later (2008, 2013); vaccination became universal from 1990.
What it led to
- universal hepatitis B vaccination policy
- the first vaccine to prevent a cancer
- the Gambian cancer registry