Immunizations - Hepatitis B

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Hepatitis B vaccine protection lasts at least 8 - 10 years. Booster shots after that may be recommended depending on continuing risk, such as sexual exposure.

Hepatitis B Vaccine for Adults. The following adults are at very high risk and should be vaccinated:

• Health care and public safety workers who may be exposed to blood products. Such individuals have a risk for HBV that ranges from 15 - 30%.
• People in the same household as HBV infected individuals. (Unvaccinated people who have had intimate exposure to people with HBV may be protected with immune globulin, which is sometimes administered with the vaccine.)
• Travelers to developing countries.
• Patients who require transfusions and have not been infected with HBV. (Those with blood clotting disorders should have the vaccination administered under the skin not injected in the muscle.)
• Sexually active homosexual or heterosexual individuals with multiple partners.
• People with any sexually transmitted diseases.

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Other people at risk who would benefit from vaccinations include:

• Patients and workers in mental institutions
• Morticians
• Patients undergoing hemodialysis. (These people may need larger doses or boosters; they also may need to be revaccinated if blood tests indicate they are losing immunity.)
• People who use injected drugs
• Pregnant women at risk for the virus; there is no evidence that the vaccine is dangerous to the fetus.
• People receiving treatments or who have conditions that suppress the immune system may need the vaccination, although its benefits for this group are unclear except for those at high risk, such as people with HIV or spleen abnormalities.

Click the icon to see an image of the immune system structures.

The regimen in adults is typically three doses given over 6 months. One study reported that older adults would benefit from a fourth dose without incurring serious side effects. People with alcoholism may need high doses.

A small percentage of people do not develop immunity even after a vaccine has been given repeatedly. A more potent vaccine is proving to be effective for these people; it loses its effect after 5 years in about one-third of those who receive it.