The hepatitis B vaccine protects against hepatitis B, a serious viral disease that damages the liver. This vaccine is one of the recommended childhood immunizations, but many adults also need to be vaccinated.
The vaccine is made from the inactivated (dead) hepatitis B virus. After you get a hepatitis B vaccine, your body learns to attack the hepatitis B virus if you are exposed to it. This means you are very unlikely to get sick with hepatitis B.
Because no vaccine is 100% effective, it is still possible to get hepatitis B, even after you have been completely vaccinated.
WHO SHOULD GET THIS VACCINE
The hepatitis B vaccine is given to children as a series of three injections (shots).
Infants who do not get the first shot until 4 to 8 weeks, will get the second shot at 4 months and the third shot at 6 to 16 months. Either way, the second and third shots are given along with other routine childhood immunizations.
Adolescents who have not been vaccinated should begin the three-shot hepatitis B vaccine series at the earliest possible date.
Adults or children who have not already received the vaccine should get the vaccine series if they:
Adults can receive the hepatitis B vaccine only, or a vaccine called Twinrix that protects against both hepatitis A and B. Either series is given in 3 doses.
RISKS AND SIDE EFFECTS
Most infants who receive the hepatitis B vaccine have no side effects. Others may have minor problems, such as soreness and redness at the injection site or a mild fever. Serious problems are rare and are mainly due to allergic reactions to a part of the vaccine.
CONSIDERATIONS
If the child is ill with something more serious than a cold, the hepatitis B vaccine may be delayed.
Children who have had a severe allergic reaction to baker's yeast should not receive this vaccine.
A child who has a severe allergic reaction after receiving the vaccine should not get another hepatitis B vaccine.
CALL YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER IF:
Vaccine - hepatitis B; Immunization - hepatitis B
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2012 immunization schedules for children 0 to 18 years of age. October 25, 2011.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Recommended adult immunization schedule. United States. 2011 Proposed Revisions. Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. October 28, 2010.
Reviewed by: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
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