Vaccination against hepatitis B in infants has been recommended since 1994. However, the WHO target of eradicating the disease in Europe is compromised due to less than 50% coverage in France. A telephone survey conducted in the first quarter of 2009 on 300 general practitioners (GPs) randomly selected in 3 departments in eastern Île-de-France was used to study the knowledge, reported practices, and opinions on the vaccine in infants and the impact of the hexavalent vaccine's reimbursement. Two hundred and nine GPs agreed to answer. Among those taking care of infants (180), 74.4% reported offering them the vaccine. The GPs who did not practice complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), who knew of the reimbursement of the hexavalent and the recommendations, and who practiced in the suburbs rather than in Paris offered to vaccinate infants more frequently. Among GPs taking care of infants, 40.5% reported they had changed their practice since the reimbursement of the hexavalent vaccine. More than a quarter of GPs (26.2%) were opposed to the vaccination against hepatitis B in infants. They were older, practiced CAM more frequently, and were less familiar with the recommendations. Among the respondents, 79% had encountered the fear of side effects from the parents and among them 17.7% did not insist or postponed the discussion. In conclusion, in 2009, over a quarter of GPs were refractory to the vaccination proposal in infants but the hexavalent vaccine seems to have a significant impact on practices.
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