Both Hepatitis A and B are serious diseases. Read about them below. You can get vaccinated against either one separately or together with a combi vaccine called Twinrix.
In short; you can contract Hepatitis A through close personal contact or food and water. Hepatitis B is spread through blood or bodily fluids. (Tattoos or piercing is a risk factor)
FastVax offers easy to get vaccinations of Hepatitis in several
convenient locations.
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What you need to know about
Hepatitis A Hepatitis BWhat is Hepatitis A?
Hepatitis A is a serious liver disease caused by the hepatitis A virus (H.A.V.). H.A.V. is found in the stool of persons with hepatitis A. It is usually spread by close personal contact and sometimes by eating food or drinking water containing H.A.V.
Hepatitis A can cause:
- mild "flu-like" illness,
- jaundice (yellow skin or eyes),
- severe stomach pains and diarrhea.
People with hepatitis A often have to be hospitalized (up to about 1 person in 5). Sometimes, people die as a result of hepatitis A (about 3 to 5 deaths per 1,000 cases). A person who has hepatitis A can easily pass the disease to others within the same household.
Hepatitis A vaccine can prevent hepatitis A.
Who should get hepatitis A vaccine and when?
WHO?
Some people should be routinely vaccinated with hepatitis A vaccine:
- All children 1 year (12 through 23 months) of age.
- Persons 1 year of age and older traveling to or working in countries
with high or intermediate prevalence of hepatitis A, such as those
located in Central or South America, Mexico, Asia (except Japan),
Africa, and eastern Europe. For more information see www.cdc.gov/travel.
- Children and adolescents through 18 years of age who live in states or
communities where routine vaccination has been implemented because of
high disease incidence.
- Men who have sex with men.
- Persons who use street drugs.
- Persons with chronic liver disease.
- Persons who are treated with clotting factor concentrates.
- Persons who work with H.A.V.-infected primates or who work with H.A.V. in research laboratories.
Other people might get hepatitis A vaccine in special situations: Hepatitis A vaccine might be recommended for children or adolescents in communities where outbreaks of hepatitis A are occurring.
Hepatitis A vaccine is not licensed for children younger than 1 year of age.
WHEN?
- For children, the first dose should be given at 12 through 23 months of
age. Children who are not vaccinated by 2 years of age can be
vaccinated at later visits.
- For travelers, the vaccine series should be started at least one month before traveling to provide the best protection.
- Persons who get the vaccine less than one month before traveling can
also get a shot called immune globulin (I.G.). I.G. gives immediate,
temporary protection.
- For others, the hepatitis A vaccine series may be started whenever a person is at risk of infection.
Two doses of the vaccine are needed for lasting protection. These doses should be given at least 6 months apart. Hepatitis A vaccine may be given at the same time as other vaccines.
Some people should not get hepatitis A vaccine or should wait.
- Anyone who has ever had a severe (life-threatening) allergic reaction
to a previous dose of hepatitis A vaccine should not get another dose.
- Anyone who has a severe (life threatening) allergy to any vaccine
component should not get the vaccine. Tell your doctor if you have any
severe allergies. All hepatitis A vaccines contain alum and some
hepatitis A vaccines contain 2-phenoxyethanol.
- Anyone who is moderately or severely ill at the time the shot is
scheduled should probably wait until they recover. Ask your doctor or
nurse. People with a mild illness can usually get the vaccine.
- Tell your doctor if you are pregnant. The safety of hepatitis A
vaccine for pregnant women has not been determined. But there is no
evidence that it is harmful to either pregnant women or their unborn
babies. The risk, if any, is thought to be very low.
What are the risks from hepatitis A vaccine?
A vaccine, like any medicine, could possibly cause serious problems, such as severe allergic reactions. The risk of hepatitis A vaccine causing serious harm, or death, is extremely small.
Getting hepatitis A vaccine is much safer than getting the disease.
Mild problems
- soreness where the shot was given (about 1 out of 2 adults, and up to 1 out of 6 children)
- headache (about 1 out of 6 adults and 1 out of 25 children)
- loss of appetite (about 1 out of 12 children)
- tiredness (about 1 out of 14 adults)
If these problems occur, they usually last 1 or 2 days.
Severe problems
- serious allergic reaction, within a few minutes to a few hours of the shot (very rare)
What if there is a moderate or severe reaction?
What should I look for?
- Any unusual condition, such as a high fever or behavior changes. Signs of a serious allergic reaction can include difficulty breathing, hoarseness or wheezing, hives, paleness, weakness, a fast heart beat or dizziness.
What should I do?
- Call a doctor, or get the person to a doctor right away.
- Tell your doctor what happened, the date and time it happened, and when the vaccination was given.
- Ask your doctor, nurse, or health department to report the reaction by filing a Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) form. Or you can file this report through the VAERS web site at www.vaers.hhs.gov or by calling 1-800-822-7967. VAERS does not provide medical advice.
The National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program
In the event that you or your child has a serious reaction to a vaccine, a federal program has been created to help pay for the care of those who have been harmed.
For details about the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, call 1-800-338-2382 or visit their website at www.hrsa.gov/vaccinecompensation/
How can I learn more?
- Ask your doctor or nurse. They can give you the vaccine package insert or suggest other sources of information.
- Call your local or state health department.
- Contact the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (C.D.C.):
- Call 1-800-232-4636 (1-800-C.D.C.-I.N.F.O.)
- Visit C.D.C.'s websites at: http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/ or Visit C.D.C.'s National Immunization Program website at www.cdc.gov/vaccines/
Department of Health and Human Services
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Immunization Program
Vaccine Information Statement
Hepatitis A
3/21/06
42 U.S.C. Section 300 a. a. 26
What is hepatitis B?
Hepatitis B is a serious disease that affects the liver. It is caused by the
hepatitis B virus (H.B.V.). H.B.V. can cause:
Acute (short-term) illness. This can lead to:
- loss of appetite
- diarrhea and vomiting
- tiredness
- jaundice (yellow skin or eyes)
- pain in muscles, joints, and stomach
Acute illness is more common among adults. Children who become infected
usually do not have acute illness. Chronic (long-term) infection. Some people
go on to develop chronic H.B.V. infection. This can be very serious, and often
leads to:
- liver damage (cirrhosis)
- liver cancer
- death
Chronic infection is more common among infants and children than among
adults. People who are infected can spread H.B.V. to others, even if they don't
appear sick.
- In 2005, about 51,000 people became infected with hepatitis B.
- About
1.25 million people in the United States have chronic H.B.V. infection.
-
Each year about 3,000 to 5,000 people die from cirrhosis or liver cancer caused
by H.B.V..
Hepatitis B virus is spread through contact with the blood or other body
fluids of an infected person. A person can become infected by:
- contact with a mother's blood and body fluids at the time of birth
- contact with blood and body fluids through breaks in the skin such as bites,
cuts, or sores
- contact with objects that could have blood or body fluids on them such as
toothbrushes or razors
- having unprotected sex with an infected person
- sharing needles when injecting drugs
- being stuck with a used needle on the job
Hepatitis B vaccine: Why get vaccinated?
Hepatitis B vaccine can prevent hepatitis B, and the serious consequences of
H.B.V. infection, including liver cancer and cirrhosis. Routine hepatitis B
vaccination of U.S. children began in 1991. Since then, the reported incidence
of acute hepatitis B among children and adolescents has dropped by more than
95% and by 75% in all age groups.
Hepatitis B vaccine is made from a part of the hepatitis B virus. It cannot
cause H.B.V. infection. Hepatitis B vaccine is usually given as a series of 3 or
4 shots. This vaccine series gives long-term protection from H.B.V. infection,
possibly lifelong.
Who should get hepatitis B vaccine and when?
Children and
Adolescents
- All children should get their first dose of hepatitis B
vaccine at birth and should have completed the vaccine series by 6 through 18
months of age.
- Children and adolescents through 18 years of age who did
not get the vaccine when they were younger should also be vaccinated.
Adults
- All unvaccinated
adults at risk for H.B.V. infection should be vaccinated. This
includes:
- sex partners of people infected with H.B.V.
- men who have sex with men
- people who inject street drugs
- people with more than one sex partner
- people with chronic liver or kidney disease
- people with jobs that expose them to human blood
- household contacts of people infected with H.B.V.
- residents and staff in institutions for the developmentally disabled
- kidney dialysis patients
- people who travel to countries where hepatitis B is common
- people with H.I.V. infection
Anyone else who wants to be protected from H.B.V. infection may be
vaccinated.
Who should not get hepatitis B vaccine?
- Anyone with a life-threatening allergy to baker's yeast, or to any other
component of the vaccine, should not get hepatitis B vaccine. Tell your
provider if you have any severe allergies.
- Anyone who has had a life-threatening allergic reaction to a previous dose
of hepatitis B vaccine should not get another dose.
- Anyone who is moderately or severely ill when a dose of vaccine is scheduled
should probably wait until they recover before getting the vaccine
Your
provider can give you more information about these precautions.Pregnant women
who need protection from H.B.V. infection may be vaccinated.
Hepatitis B vaccine risks
Hepatitis B is a very safe vaccine. Most people do not have any problems
with it. The following mild problems have been reported:
- Soreness where the shot was given (up to about 1 person in 4)
- Temperature of 99.9 degrees Fahrenheit or higher (up to about 1 person in
15)
Severe problems are extremely rare. Severe allergic reactions are
believed to occur about once in 1.1 million doses. A vaccine, like any medicine,
could cause a serious reaction. But the risk of a vaccine causing serious harm,
or death, is extremely small. More than 100 million people have gotten
hepatitis B vaccine in the United States.
6. What if there is a moderate or severe reaction?
What should I look for?
-
Any unusual condition, such as a high fever or behavior changes. Signs of a
serious allergic reaction can include difficulty breathing, hoarseness or
wheezing, hives, paleness, weakness, a fast heart beat or dizziness.
What should I do?
- Call
a doctor, or get the person to a doctor right away.
- Tell your doctor what
happened, the date and time it happened, and when the vaccination was
given.
- Ask your doctor, nurse, or health department to report the
reaction by filing a Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) form. Or
you can file this report through the VAERS web site at http://www.vaers.hhs.gov/ or by calling
1-800-822-7967. VAERS does not provide medical advice.
The National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program
In the event that you or your child has a serious reaction to a vaccine, a
federal program has been created to help pay for the care of those who have been
harmed. For details about the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, call
1-800-338-2382 or visit their website at www.hrsa.gov/vaccinecompensation/
How can I learn more?
- Ask your immunization provider. They can give you the vaccine package
insert or suggest other sources of information.
- Call your local or state
health department.
- Contact the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(C.D.C.):
- Call 1-800-232-4636 (1-800-C.D.C.-I.N.F.O.)
-
Visit C.D.C.'s websites at:
- Visit C.D.C. websites at: http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/
- Visit C.D.C.'s
National Immunization Program website at www.cdc.gov/vaccines/
- Visit C.D.C.'s National
Immunization Program website at http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/
Vaccine Information Statement (Interim)
Hepatitis B
Vaccine
(7/18/07)
U.S.C. 42 section 300 a.a. 26
Department of Health and Human Services
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention