Skip to main content

Medical Mistrust Could Be Harming Hep A Vaccination Rates Among Gay, Bisexual Men

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on April 17, 2025.

By Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, April 17, 2025 -- Hepatitis A vaccinations could be lagging among men who have sex with men due to a mistrust of medicine, particularly among racial and ethnic minority groups, a new study says.

Only about 60% of surveyed gay and bisexual men were fully vaccinated for hepatitis A, even though the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends the jab for those at higher risk of acquiring the viral infection, researchers reported in the International Journal of STD & AIDS.

“Despite public health recommendations, we see a significant gap in hepatitis A vaccination among men who have sex with men, particularly among those who are Black and multiracial,” lead researcher Tiffany Guo, a doctoral student in the Rutgers School of Public Health, said in a news release.

Hepatitis A is a highly infectious liver disease that in rare cases can cause liver failure and even death, according to the CDC. It spreads through close person-to-person contact or by eating contaminated food or drink.

While most people fully recover from hepatitis A, outbreaks have increased in recent years among men who have sex with men, researchers said in background notes.

The most common reasons that men cited for not being vaccinated were that they felt it was unnecessary (44%) or that they didn’t know that much about it (17%), the study says.

However, researchers also found higher levels of medical mistrust among those who weren’t vaccinated against hepatitis A, as well as among Black and Hispanic men.

“Our findings highlight the need for targeted intervention strategies that address both vaccine accessibility and medical mistrust,” senior researcher Kristen Krause, deputy director of Rutgers' Center for Health, Identity, Behavior and Prevention Studies, said in a news release.

The study was derived from a sample of 222 New York and New Jersey men surveyed between October 2021 and November 2022.

Sources

  • Rutgers University, news release, April 14, 2025

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted April 2025

Read this next

Long-Lasting HIV Prevention Shot Headed Toward Approval

FRIDAY, June 6, 2025 — A new injection to prevent HIV is expected to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) later this month. If approved, the shot...

Moderna's New Lower-Dose COVID-19 Vaccine, mNexspike, Approved by FDA

TUESDAY, June 3, 2025 -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new lower-dose vaccine for active immunization against COVID-19 caused by severe acute respiratory...

CDC Now Says Americans Traveling Abroad Should Get Measles Shots First

TUESDAY, June 3, 2025 — Americans planning to travel outside the country should make sure they’re vaccinated against measles — no matter where they’re...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.