Hepatitis B Immunization

You can protect children from hepatitis B by getting them vaccinated with three doses of hepatitis B vaccine. Newborn babies whose mothers either are infected with the hepatitis B virus or have not been tested should get their first shot within 12 hours of birth, the second shot at 1-2 months of age, and the third shot at 6 months of age. Other babies can get their first shot between birth and 2 months of age, the second at 1-4 months of age, and the third at 6-18 months of age.

The second shot should always be given at least one month after the first shot, and the third shot at least 2 months after the second and 4 months after the first. Your doctor or clinic will tell you the best time to get these shots. If you miss a dose or get behind schedule, there is no need to start over. Just get the next dose as soon as possible and continue on schedule. After the third shot, most children will be protected. They do not need booster shots.

Note: Babies born to infected mothers should also get Hepatitis B Immune Globulin (HBIG) within 12 hours of birth. Your doctor or nurse can give you details. These babies should also be checked when they are 9-15 months old to make sure the vaccine worked and that they do not have chronic hepatitis B virus infection.

Side Effects from Hepatitis B Immunization

Hepatitis B is a very safe vaccine. Some children (about 3-9 out of 100) have some soreness where the shot is given, and up to about 6 in 100 will get a mild fever. Up to 2 out of 10 children might become tired or irritable. More serious reactions are extremely rare.

Like any vaccine, or medicine, hepatitis B vaccine could theoretically trigger a serious reaction in someone who is allergic to one of its components. But severe allergic reactions to childhood vaccines are very rare (estimated at around one per million doses), and no child is ever known to have died from an allergic reaction to a vaccine.

Precautions

There are several reasons a doctor might want to delay giving a child a hepatitis B vaccination or not give it at all:

• A child who is known to have a severe allergy to baker's yeast (the kind used for making bread) should not get hepatitis B vaccine.
• A child who had a life-threatening allergic reaction after a dose of hepatitis B vaccine should not get another dose.
• A child who has a moderate or severe illness on the day a hepatitis B (or any) vaccination is scheduled should probably delay the vaccination until he or she has
  recovered.

After Getting Hepatitis B Vaccine . . .

If the child has any serious or unusual problem after getting this vaccine, call a doctor or get the child to a doctor right away.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases