hepatitis B
Did you know?
Half of all people who get hepatitis B can't tell they have the disease.
About the vaccine
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The Hepatitis B vaccine is provided free to infants or children under the age of seven in combination with other childhood vaccines so that they can be protected against multiple diseases with one shot.
Infants should receive three doses of DTaP-HB-IPV-Hib (105) at 2, 4 and 6 months of age.
The Hepatitis B vaccine (25a) is given free to children in grade 6 who have not had the vaccine before. It is usually given at the same time as other vaccines. |
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The Hepatitis B vaccine (25a) is free and recommended for adults with medical or lifestyle risks. It is also recommended for adults who have never been vaccinated against hepatitis B before - talk to your public health nurse or doctor about purchasing the vaccine(prescription required). |
Vaccines are very safe. It is much safer to get the vaccine than to get Hepatitis B disease.
Which adults should get vaccinated?
- People whose sexual partners are infected with HBV
- Sexually active persons who are not in a long-term, mutually monogamous relationship
- Persons seeking evaluation or treatment for a sexually transmitted disease
- Men who have sex with men
- People who share needles, syringes or other drug-injection equipment
- People who have close household contact with someone infected with HBV
- Health care and public safety workers at risk for exposure to blood or blood-contaminated body fluids on the job
- People with end-stage renal disease, including pre-dialysis, hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis and home dialysis patients
- Residents and staff of facilities for developmentally disabled persons
- Travelers to regions with moderate or high rates of HBV infection
- People with chronic liver disease
- People with HIV infection
- Anyone who wishes to be protected from HBV infection
About the disease
- Hepatitis B is a virus that attacks the liver
- It can cause serious disease including permanent liver damage (cirrhosis)
- Hepatitis B is also the main cause of liver cancer, which can be fatal
- Half of all people who get hepatitis B can't tell they have the disease
- Hepatitis B virus is spread from one infected person to another by contact with blood or body fluids. Mothers who are infected with hepatitis B virus can pass the virus to their newborn babies during delivery.
- Whether you have signs of illness or not, if you have the virus in your body you can pass it on to others
- Signs of illness may be: tiredness, fever, loss of appetite, nausea, tenderness in the upper right side of the stomach area, dark colored urine, clay colored stools and a yellowing of skin and eyeballs (jaundice)
- More vaccine preventable disease images.
Photos courtesy of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
