Trends of hepatitis B notification rates in Turkey, 1990 to 2012.

Turkey is a country with intermediate endemicity for hepatitis B, and approximately 4% of the population are HBsAg-positive. A number of measures have been implemented to prevent hepatitis B infection. In 1998, hepatitis B antigen was included in the national immunisation programme, and infants have since been vaccinated with three doses. Catch-up strategies, vaccination for high risk groups and screening measures were also adopted. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of the prevention and control strategies on hepatitis B notification rates in Turkey in the period from 1990 to 2012, using data from the national surveillance system. Secular trends revealed that rates showed an initial increasing trend, followed by a steady decline from 2005. The most dramatic decline occurred among children younger than 15 years, highlighting the benefits of vaccination and catch-up strategies. However, vaccination cannot fully explain the decrease in this age group. Socioeconomic development, through interrupting the horizontal transmission may also have contributed. After 2005, a steady decline was achieved also among those 15 years and older. The rates in adults were higher, which indicates that stronger prevention measures are needed to target this group, particularly men.

Public awareness of and support for smoke-free legislation in Turkey: a national survey using the lot quality sampling technique.

Six months after new legislation in Turkey banning smoking in all public places, a national survey was carried out to assess its implementation. This paper summarizes the main findings on the public's awareness of and support for the new law. In a household interview survey of 32 972 adults representative of the Turkish adult population, a high proportion of both non-smokers and current smokers (91.4% and 67.2% respectively) strongly supported the new law. Knowledge about the health hazards of passive smoking and support for the law, however, were relatively lower among smokers than non-smokers. After controlling for smoking status, people with better knowledge about passive smoking were over 5 times more likely to support the new law. Tobacco control activities should be tailored to local needs, with afocus on increasing awareness about the health hazards of passive smoking. The study also demonstrated application of the lot quality sampling technique (LQT) for monitoring tobacco control activities in a national survey.

The WHO global alliance against chronic respiratory diseases in Turkey (GARD Turkey).

In order to prevent and control non-communicable diseases (NCDs), the 61st World Health Assembly has endorsed an NCD action plan (WHA resolution 61.14). A package for essential NCDs including chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) has also been developed. The Global Alliance against Chronic Respiratory Diseases (GARD) is a new but rapidly developing voluntary alliance that is assisting World Health Organization (WHO) in the task of addressing NCDs at country level. The GARD approach was initiated in 2006. GARD Turkey is the first comprehensive programme developed by a government with all stakeholders of the country. This paper provides a summary of indicators of the prevalence and severity of chronic respiratory diseases in Turkey and the formation of GARD Turkey.