Hepatitis B is a contagious liver infection caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). Hepatitis B is transmitted when blood, semen, or another body fluid from an infected person enters the body of an uninfected person. This can happen through sexual contact; sharing razors, toothbrushes, needles, syringes, or other drug-injection equipment; or from mother to baby at birth. The best way to prevent hepatitis B is by getting vaccinated.

 

What are the symptoms and how does hepatitis B progress?

• Acute hepatitis B: For some people, hepatitis B is an acute, or short-term, illness. Symptoms of acute hepatitis may develop within the first 6 months after someone is exposed to the hepatitis B virus. Symptoms include: fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dark urine, jaundice (yellow color in the skin or the eyes). Some people with acute hepatitis B have no symptoms at all or only mild illness.
• Chronic hepatitis B: If the virus is not cleared from the body by the immune system in the acute phase, the disease can become a long-term, a lifelong infection. Chronic hepatitis B can cause serious health problems, including liver damage, cirrhosis (scarring of the liver), liver cancer.

Who should get vaccinated against hepatitis B?

Children and adolescents:

• All infants, starting with the first dose of hepatitis B vaccine at birth and should have completed the vaccine series by 6-18 months of age so that they will be protected from a serious but preventable disease.
• All children and adolescents younger than 19 years of age who have not been vaccinated.

Adults:

• People whose sex partners have hepatitis B, or people who has sexual contact with same-sex (homosexual).
• Sexually active persons who are not in a long-term, mutually monogamous relationship.
• People with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) infection, chronic liver disease, end-stage renal disease, including dialysis patients, or diabetes mellitus.
• People who have close household contact with someone infected with the hepatitis B virus.
• People who are health care and public safety workers at risk for exposure to blood or body fluids.
• People who share needles, syringes, or other drug-injection equipment.
• People who need to travel to regions with increased rates of hepatitis B.
• Anyone who wishes to be protected from hepatitis B virus infection

 

How and when is the hepatitis B vaccine series given?

The hepatitis B vaccine is usually given intramuscularly into the deltoid or thigh muscle for 3 doses. The vaccine schedule is as below:
 

Dose 1	Dose 2	Dose 3
At any given time	1 month after first dose	6 months after first dose

 

• More than 95% of recipients develop protective antibody levels after three muscular doses.
• Booster doses are recommended only for hemodialysis patients and can be considered for other people with a weakened immune system.

 

What should be done if hepatitis B vaccine series was not completed?

Talk to your health professional to resume the vaccine series as soon as possible. The series does not need to be restarted.

 

Who should not receive the hepatitis B vaccine or should wait?

The hepatitis B vaccine is not recommended for people who have had serious allergic reactions to a prior dose of hepatitis B vaccine, or to any part of the vaccine, or yeast which it is used when making the vaccine. Tell your doctor if you have any severe allergies. If you are moderately or severely ill when a dose of vaccine is scheduled, you should probably wait until you recover before getting the vaccine.

What are the common side effects from hepatitis B vaccine?

The most common symptoms are local reactions at the site of injection which are mild and self-limited. Mild systemic reactions, e.g. fever, malaise, and headache, are reported (10%) after vaccination around 3-4 hours and not last longer than 24 hours. Serious systemic adverse reactions and allergic reactions are very rare.
 
 

Drug Interaction

Some medicines may interact with hepatitis B vaccinesuch as immunosuppressive therapy (e.g. cyclosporine) because it may decrease hepatitis B vaccine's effectiveness.
This may not be a complete list of all interactions that may occur. Ask your health care provider if the hepatitis B vaccine may interact with other medicines that you take. Check with your health care provider before you start, stop, or change the dose of any medicine.
 

For more information about hepatitis B vaccines, please consult your doctor, pharmacist, or health professional



References:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hepatitis B. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/hbv/ [Accessed 8 September 2021].
• Full prescribing information for Engerix-B. Research Triangle Park, NC: GlaxoSmithKline group of companies (US); 2021 Jun.