Why Should You Get a Hepatitis B Vaccine?

The symptoms include abdominal pain, yellowing of the eyes, and dark urine. Some individuals, particularly children, exhibit no symptoms. Chronic conditions can lead to cancer, liver failure, and scarring.

Typically, the condition resolves on its own. However, in chronic cases, medication and even a liver transplant may be necessary.

The NHS provides hepatitis B vaccination as part of its regular vaccination programme. Consequently, patients who are at a higher risk of contracting hepatitis B or its complications also get the vaccine.

The vaccine offers protection against hepatitis B, the leading cause of severe liver disease.

To prevent hepatitis B infection, all infants must get the vaccine. This is because the disease could last for years in children and lead to complications such as liver scarring or liver cancer.

All babies get the Hepatitis B vaccine in the 6-in-1 vaccination at 8, 12, and 16 weeks of age.

Administration of additional doses of the vaccine occurs at delivery, at 4 weeks, and at 1 year to babies who are at risk of contracting hepatitis B from their infected mothers. Even though the risk of hepatitis B is limited in the United Kingdom, the vaccine is administered to high-risk children and adults.

Vaccination is necessary for those who are at risk of contracting hepatitis B or suffering serious consequences from it.

These individuals include:

• People who take drugs through injections or who have a partner who does
• People who frequently change sexual partners
• Men who engage in sexual activity with other men
• Children born to mothers infected with the virus
• Sexual partners or close relatives of a person with hepatitis B
• Regular recipients of blood as well as their caregivers
• Those with chronic liver or renal dysfunction of any type
• Tourists visiting countries where the disease is prevalent
• Sex workers
• Those whose careers expose them to blood or bodily fluids, such as nurses, prison guards, dentists, physicians, and laboratory technicians
• Prisoners
• Families adopting or fostering children from high-risk countries
• Residents of specialised housing for people with learning disabilities
• Handlers of individuals with significant learning disabilities
  

To provide full protection, you should get the hepatitis B vaccine three times at the specified intervals. Therefore, to ensure long-term protection, infants born to mothers with hepatitis B will receive six doses containing the hepatitis B vaccine.

If you work in healthcare or have kidney problems, you will need a follow-up appointment to determine the effectiveness of the vaccine.

If the occupational health department of your employer vaccinated you, you can request a blood test to determine whether you responded to the vaccine.

Hepatitis B vaccination is quite effective. Protection develops in approximately nine out of ten individuals who receive it.

The vaccine may be less effective in some individuals. These include people who:

• Are over the age of 40
• Are overweight
• Smoke
• Are alcoholics, particularly those with advanced liver disease

If you have a compromised immune system or are undergoing renal dialysis, it may affect the effectiveness of the hepatitis B vaccine. As a result, you may require more frequent doses.

Immunisation against Hepatitis B is extremely safe.

With the exception of minimal redness and pain at the injection site, side effects are uncommon. The vaccine is inactivated (dead); it, therefore, cannot cause infection.

The first three doses of the vaccine have a high response rate with strong or even complete immune responses. However, it has been stated that this amount drops quickly in the first year and then slowly thereafter. There is limited information about the hepatitis B vaccine’s longevity in terms of protection in adults.

If you did not get the vaccination and are exposed to the virus, you should seek medical help immediately because you may benefit from the hepatitis B vaccine.

In some instances, you may require an injection of specific antibodies known as hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG) in addition to the hepatitis B vaccine.

Administration of HBIG should be within 48 hours of exposure. However, you can still get it up to one week later.

Consult with Fusion Pharmacy today to get your hepatitis B vaccine in Leicester before travelling abroad.