Vaccination for other groups (inmates, men who have sex with men, people who inject drugs, and sex workers)

Inmates of correctional facilities are at risk of acquiring certain vaccine-preventable diseases, and should receive vaccines against:¹

• influenza²
• hepatitis A³ (see Hepatitis A)
• hepatitis B⁴ (if non-immune - see Hepatitis B)

Inmates are at higher risk of acquiring vaccine-preventable diseases due to factors such as overcrowding and high turnover rates of prisoners, higher prevalence of communicable disease compared to the background population and higher proportions of individuals with high-risk behaviours.^5,6

Inmates of correctional facilities should also be up to date with routinely recommended vaccines for adults, such as dT (diphtheria-tetanus)–containing and MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) vaccines. See also Table. Catch-up schedule for people ≥10 years of age (for vaccines recommended on a population level) in Catch-up vaccination.

Men who have sex with men are at risk of acquiring certain vaccine-preventable diseases,^7,8 and should receive vaccines against:

• hepatitis A (see Hepatitis A)
• hepatitis B (if non-immune - see Hepatitis B)
• mpox (if at increased risk of mpox exposure - see Mpox)
• HPV (human papillomavirus) (all ages - see Human Papillomavirus)

A meta-analyses of data worldwide show that vaccine-type HPV infections are more prevalent in MSM (70.5% and 42.6% in those with and without HIV, respectively) compared with heterosexual men (22.2% and 5.4% in those with and without HIV, respectively).⁷ HPV infection, especially of vaccine-types, is most common in MSM who are also HIV-positive.⁷ The prevalence of anal lesions is higher in MSM with HIV (22.4%) compared with MSM without HIV (11.3%).

Men who have sex with men should also be up to date with routinely recommended vaccines for adults, such as dT-containing and MMR vaccines. See also Table. Catch-up schedule for people ≥10 years of age (for vaccines recommended on a population level) in Catch-up vaccination.

People who inject drugs are at risk of acquiring certain vaccine-preventable diseases, particularly those transmitted parenterally,⁹ and should receive vaccines against:

• hepatitis A (see Hepatitis A)
• hepatitis B (if non-immune - see Hepatitis B)

People who inject drugs should also be up to date with routinely recommended vaccines for adults, such as dT-containing and MMR vaccines. See also Table. Catch-up schedule for people ≥10 years of age (for vaccines recommended on a population level) in Catch-up vaccination.

Sex workers are at risk of acquiring certain vaccine-preventable diseases,^10,11 and should receive vaccines against:

• hepatitis A (see Hepatitis A)
• hepatitis B (if non-immune - see Hepatitis B)
• mpox (if at increased risk of mpox exposure - see Mpox)

Also consider HPV vaccine (see Human papillomavirus). Female sex industry workers have a high prevalence of infection with high-risk HPV genotypes.¹¹ These workers constitute an epidemiologically important population group for HPV infection because they may acquire this infection and transmit it to other sexual partners.

Sex workers should also be up to date with routinely recommended vaccines for adults, such as dT-containing and MMR vaccines. See also Table. Catch-up schedule for people ≥10 years of age (for vaccines recommended on a population level) in Catch-up vaccination.

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Weinbaum C, Lyerla R, Margolis HS. Prevention and control of infections with hepatitis viruses in correctional settings. [erratum appears in MMWR Recomm Rep. 2003 Mar 14;52(10):205-14]. MMWR. Recommendations and Reports 2003;52(RR-1):1-36.
2. Bick JA. Infection control in jails and prisons. Clinical Infectious Diseases 2007;45:1047-55.
3. Crofts N, Cooper G, Stewart T, et al. Exposure to hepatitis A virus among blood donors, injecting drug users and prison entrants in Victoria. Journal of Viral Hepatitis 1997;4:333-8.
4. Weinbaum CM, Sabin KM, Santibanez SS. Hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV in correctional populations: a review of epidemiology and prevention. AIDS 2005;19 Suppl 3:S41-6.
5. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Public health guidance on prevention and control of blood-borne viruses in prison settings. Stockholm, Sweden: European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction,; 2018.
6. Vicente-Alcalde N, Ruescas-Escolano E, Harboe ZB, Tuells J. Vaccination coverage among prisoners: A systematic review. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2020;17.
7. Wei F, Gaisa MM, D'Souza G, et al. Epidemiology of anal human papillomavirus infection and high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions in 29 900 men according to HIV status, sexuality, and age: a collaborative pooled analysis of 64 studies. Lancet HIV 2021;8:e531-e43.
8. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Viral hepatitis and men who have sex with men. 2018. (Accessed May 2018). https://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/populations/msm.htm
9. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). People who inject drugs and viral hepatitis. 2018. (Accessed May 2018). https://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/populations/idu.htm
10. Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care. Third national hepatitis B strategy 2018–2022. Canberra, ACT: Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care; 2018. (Accessed 6 July 2023). https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/2022/06/third-national-hepatitis-b-strategy-2018-2022.pdf
11. Soohoo M, Blas M, Byraiah G, Carcamo C, Brown B. Cervical HPV infection in female sex workers: A global perspective. Open AIDS J 2013;7:58-66.