What is it?
Hepatitis B is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis B virus. It can cause serious liver infections. Nine out of ten infants who get infected will develop lifelong (chronic) hepatitis B. Of those, one in four will die of liver problems, including liver cancer, later in life. It is spread by contact with the blood and other bodily fluids of infected persons. Most of the time, infected people have no symptoms and can spread the virus without knowing it. A mother with hepatitis B can pass the virus to her newborn baby during childbirth.
What can I do?
Hepatitis B vaccine is recommended for all infants soon after birth and before hospital discharge. The usual schedule is birth, 1, 2, and 6 to 18 months. Routine hepatitis B vaccination is recommended for all children and adolescents through age 18.
Is it safe?
Yes, the hepatitis B vaccine is safe. Severe allergic reactions are rare and occur in about 1 in 1 million doses.
|
Age > Vaccine |
Birth | 1 month |
2 months |
4 months |
6 months |
9 months |
12 months |
15 months |
18 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hepatitis B | HepB* | HepB* | HepB† | HepB* | |||||
| * - Your child should get the vaccine at this age or age range. If he misses a dose, get it as soon as possible. | † - Your child may get this dose depending on the type of vaccine used. Ask your doctor or nurse for more information. |