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Immunization has saved more lives in Canada in the last 50 years than any other health measure.
Hepatitis B vaccine protects against the hepatitis B virus. The vaccine is approved by Health Canada.
Hepatitis B vaccine is provided free as part of your child's routine immunizations. The vaccine is given in Grade 6 as 2 doses or shots at 4 to 6 months apart.
The hepatitis B vaccine is also provided free to babies as part of their routine immunizations. See HealthLink BC File #25c Hepatitis B Infant Vaccine for more information.
The vaccine is also provided free to children and adults at high risk of hepatitis B infection, including:
Adults and those 16 years of age and older require 3 doses of the vaccine.
If you are not eligible for a free vaccine, speak with your health care provider, (doctor, nurse, pharmacist), about buying the vaccine. It is important to keep a record of all immunizations received.
The hepatitis B vaccine is highly effective. It protects against hepatitis B infection and its complications such as permanent liver damage, which can lead to liver cancer and death. When you get vaccinated, you help protect others as well.
Vaccines are very safe. It is much safer to get the vaccine than to get hepatitis B.
Common reactions to the vaccine may include soreness, redness and swelling where the shot was given. Some may experience a mild fever.
| Acetaminophen or Tylenol® can be given for fever or soreness. ASA or Aspirin® should NOT be given to anyone under 20 years of age due to the risk of Reye Syndrome. |
It is important to stay in the clinic for 15 minutes after getting any vaccine because there is an extremely rare possibility of a life-threatening allergic reaction called anaphylaxis. This may include hives, difficulty breathing, or swelling of the throat, tongue or lips. If this happens after you leave the clinic, call 9-1-1 or the local emergency number. This reaction can be treated, and occurs in less than one in a million people who get the vaccine.
Report serious or unexpected reactions to your health care provider.
Speak with your health care provider if you have had a life-threatening reaction to a previous dose of hepatitis B vaccine, or any component of the vaccine such as yeast, or to latex.
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. Hepatitis B virus is spread from one infected person to another by contact with blood or body fluids. This includes an accidental or intentional poke with a used needle, intimate sexual contact, being splashed in the mouth, nose, or eyes with infected blood, being bitten by an infected person, or by sharing blood-contaminated items such as a toothbrush, dental floss or razor. Mothers who are infected with hepatitis B virus can pass the virus to their newborn babies during delivery.
After the virus enters your body, it usually takes 2 to 3 months to develop symptoms or signs of illness. Many people who get hepatitis B show no symptoms and may not know they have the disease. Whether there are signs of illness or not, you can pass the virus on to others.
It is recommended that parents or guardians and their children discuss consent for immunization. Efforts are first made to seek parental/guardian or representative consent prior to immunization. However, children under the age of 19, who are able to understand the benefits and possible reactions for each vaccine and the risk of not getting immunized, can legally consent to or refuse immunizations.
For more information on immunizations visit Immunize BC at www.immunizebc.ca
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For more HealthLink BC File topics, visit www.HealthLinkBC.ca/healthfiles/index.stm or your local public health unit. Click on www.HealthLinkBC.ca or call 8-1-1 for non-emergency health information and services in B.C. For deaf and hearing-impaired assistance, call 7-1-1 in B.C. Translation services are available in more than 130 languages on request. |
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