Healthy Greetings,
Hepatitis B is an inflammatory liver disease caused by viral infection with hepatitis B. Hepatitis B can be acute and chronic which if not treated properly can cause
Hepatitis B vaccine is the main prevention method of hepatitis B. WHO recommends that all babies get the hepatitis B vaccine as soon as possible after birth, preferably within 24 hours after birth. The low incidence of chronic hepatitis B virus infection in children under 5 years of age can now be attributed to the widespread use of hepatitis B vaccine. Worldwide, in 2015, the estimated prevalence of HBV infection in this age group was around 1.3%, compared to around 4.7% in the pre-vaccination era.
Complete vaccines according to the vaccination schedule successfully protect more than 95% of children from hepatitis B virus infection. Protection can usually reach at least 20 years and is likely to be lifelong.
All children and adolescents younger than 18 years and not previously vaccinated must receive vaccines if they live in countries with low or medium endemicity. Especially in high-risk groups, including:
- people who often receive blood transfusions or blood products, dialysis patients, thalassemia patients, organ transplant recipients, etc .;
- people in prison;
- drug users;
- people who live at home with people with hepatitis B;
- people who frequently change sexual partners;
- health care workers and other people who may be exposed to blood and blood
- products through their work; and
- people going to endemic areas.
This vaccine has a very good record of safety and effectiveness. Since 1982, more than 1 billion doses of hepatitis B vaccine have been used worldwide. In many countries where there were previously 8-15% of children who would be chronically infected with the hepatitis B virus, vaccination has reduced chronic infection rates to less than 1% among immunized children.
So, have you done the Hepatitis B vaccine?
May be useful.
Source: WHO (World Health Organization)