Prevention
- What is the best way to prevent hepatitis B?
- Who should be vaccinated?
- Pregnancy and hepatitis B
- Universal vaccination
What is the best way to prevent hepatitis B?
- Vaccination reliably provides protection against hepatitis B infection
- For full effect, three shots of vaccine are needed to give long-term protection
- All children and adolescents younger than 19 years of age who have not been vaccinated
- All those at higher risk for getting hepatitis B (see "Who is at Risk")
- Health care workers
- Anyone with a household member who has hepatitis B
- Residents and staff of long-term care facilities
- People with chronic liver and kidney disease
- Persons traveling to a country with moderate to high rates of hepatitis B
- People with HIV infection
- Vaccination is not useful if you already have hepatitis B
- All women in the United States and Canada are tested for hepatitis B virus during pregnancy
- If a pregnant woman has hepatitis B there is a risk of spread of the infection to the baby during childbirth
- Transmission can be prevented in almost all cases by giving the infant:
- a shot of hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIG) within 12 hours of birth
- the first shot of hepatitis B vaccine within 12 hours of birth
- a total of 3 shots of the vaccine over 6 months are needed to be fully protected
- Infants of mothers with hepatitis B should be tested after completion of the vaccination series:
- to confirm that the vaccine has provided protection
- to make sure that the infant did not get infected with hepatitis B
- Every infant should get vaccinated for hepatitis B (even if their mother does not have hepatitis B)
- The first of three shots should be given before the infant leaves the hospital
