Prevention of Hepatitis B
•HBV infection can be prevented in non-infected individuals by vaccination with HBV vaccine.
However the millions of infected people will not benefit
•Series of 3 injections at 0, 1 and 6 months
•Vaccination is effective in over 90% of recipients
Universal Hepatitis B Vaccination
The Strategy
•All infants to be immunised before the age of 18 months – regardless of country
•In 1998, 80 countries have achieved this goal
The Experience
•Other childhood vaccines do not interfere with response
•Protection lasts >10 years and booster doses not required
•Screening of pregnant women for HBV markers, ensuring immediate vaccination of infants borne to HBsAg+ve mothers
Recommendations for Pre-exposure Vaccination
•Health care workers at risk of exposure to infected tissues
•Staff at institutions for the developmentally disabled
•Haemophiliacs
•Haemodialysis patients
•Inmates of long-term custodial facilities
•Close family contacts of HBV infected individuals
Recommendations for Post-exposure Vaccination
•Infants born to HBsAg+ve mothers or to mothers who had acute hepatitis B during pregnancy
•Healthcare workers after needlestick injury involving blood from a HBV infected patient
•Sexual partners of individuals with HBV infection
Global Control of Hepatitis B
•The two most important interventions in the global control of hepatitis B are……….
–the integration of hepatitis B vaccine into national immunisation schedules and
–effective treatment of the many millions of chronic carriers of hepatitis B
