How Much Is The Hepatitis B Vaccine

What Is The Effectiveness Of A Hepatitis B Vaccine

The hepatitis B vaccine provides over 90 per cent protection to babies, children, as well as adults who have been immunised with all three doses prior to exposure to the virus and that too long term. Besides preventing hepatitis B infection, the vaccine also averts the development of any complications like chronic disease and liver cancer.

Who Should Be Given The Hepatitis B Vaccine

Besides newborns, others who should take the vaccine are:

• Unvaccinated people under the age of 19

• Anyone with a sexual partner with hepatitis B

• Sexually active people outside of a long-term monogamous relationship

• People being examined for STDs

• Men having sexual intercourse with other men

• People who share drug-injecting equipment

• Anyone sharing living space with an infected person

• Anyone whose job puts them in contact with infected persons, or blood and bodily fluids

• People with end stage renal disease or chronic liver disease

• Workers at facilities for the developmentally disabled

• Anyone who has travelled to a region with significant rates of the infection

• People with HIV infections

How Can I Save Money

Local state health departments generally offer the best rate for vaccinations, especially for those who meet certain minimum income requirements. If you cannot afford the vaccination, check local state government programs to see if there is any aid or funding available.

If planning a trip in the near future, its always best to consider a walk-in clinic well ahead of time. Last minute vaccinations are generally going to cost more than vaccinations that are planned well ahead of time. Most walk-in clinics can get a price over the phone. Its always best to compare two to three before getting one.

If youre traveling, combining your vaccinations can often bring the price down, especially if youre going to a travel clinic.

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Possible Side Effects Of Hepatitis B Vaccination

You may experience minor side effects following vaccination. Most reactions are mild and last no more than a couple of days and you will recover without any problems.

Common side effects of hepatitis B vaccines include:

• pain, redness and swelling at injection site
• occasionally an injection-site lump

Talk to your vaccination provider about possible side effects of hepatitis B vaccines, or if you or your child have possible side effects that worry you.

The Consumer Medicine Information available on the Therapeutic Goods Administration website lists the ingredients and side effects of each vaccine.

Learn more about the possible side effects of vaccination.

Us Children And Adult Hepatitis B Vaccine Schedules

*Please note that the first dose should be given as soon as possible. Additional doses require minimum time intervals between doses in order for the vaccine to be effective.

3-Dose Vaccine Series for Children and Adults

The hepatitis B vaccine is an injection that is generally given in the arm as a three-dose series on a 0, 1, and 6-month schedule. Alternative schedules may be considered, noting that a third dose at 6 months, meeting minimum intervals between doses, is needed for maximum, long-term protection. Completing the hepatitis B vaccine series, preferably beginning at birth, will ensure protection against hepatitis B, hepatitis delta and lower the lifetime risk of liver cancer. Greater than 90% of babies and up to 50% of young children who are not vaccinated and are infected with hepatitis B will have lifelong infection, which makes the birth dose essential to their protection.

There are four, 3-dose vaccine brands approved in the U.S.

• PreHevbrio PreHevbrio is only approved for adults age 18 and over.

2-Dose Vaccine Series

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Who Should Receive Hepatitis B Vaccination

• All newborns before hospital discharge. Infants born to hepatitis B-positive women need hepatitis B vaccine and HBIG within 12 hours of birth.
• All children and adolescents not previously vaccinated.
• Children born in the U.S. to individuals born in a country with high hepatitis B endemicity.
• All individuals at risk of hepatitis B infection:
• Sex partners of hepatitis B-positive persons
• Sexually active persons who are not in a long-term, mutually monogamous relationship
• Persons seeking evaluation or treatment for a sexually-transmitted disease
• Men who have sex with men
• Persons who inject drugs
• Household contacts of hepatitis B-positive persons
• Persons born in countries where hepatitis B infection is endemic should be tested and vaccinated if susceptible
• International travelers to regions with high or intermediate rates of endemic hepatitis B infection
• Health care and public safety workers that may be exposed to blood or blood-contaminated body fluids
• Residents and staff of facilities for developmentally disabled persons, corrections facilities, and other facilities that serve adults at risk for hepatitis B infection
• Persons with end-stage renal disease, including pre-dialysis, hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, and home dialysis patients
• Persons with chronic liver disease
• Persons to age 60 years with diabetes
• Persons with HIV infection

• All other persons seeking protection from hepatitis B infection.

Who Is More Likely To Get Hepatitis B

People are more likely to get hepatitis B if they are born to a mother who has hepatitis B. The virus can spread from mother to child during birth. For this reason, people are more likely to have hepatitis B if they

• were born in a part of the world where 2 percent or more of the population has hepatitis B infection
• were born in the United States, didnt receive the hepatitis B vaccine as an infant, and have parents who were born in an area where 8 percent or more of the population had hepatitis B infection

People are also more likely to have hepatitis B if they

• are infected with HIV, because hepatitis B and HIV spread in similar ways
• have lived with or had sex with someone who has hepatitis B
• have had more than one sex partner in the last 6 months or have a history of sexually transmitted disease
• are men who have sex with men
• are injection drug users
• work in a profession, such as health care, in which they have contact with blood, needles, or body fluids at work
• live or work in a care facility for people with developmental disabilities
• have been on kidney dialysis
• live or work in a prison
• had a blood transfusion or organ transplant before the mid-1980s

In the United States, hepatitis B spreads among adults mainly through contact with infected blood through the skin, such as during injection drug use, and through sexual contact.12

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Can You Get A Vaccine To Prevent Hepatitis C

Vaccines are a way to expose your body to a virus before you encounter the live virus naturally. A vaccine contains traces of a dead virus, so your body can form a memory of the virus. Your body then remembers how to attack and destroy the virus if you ever come into contact with it.

There isnt a vaccine for hepatitis C at this time. Hepatitis C has many different subtypes and strains, so creating a vaccine that protects against all the different types is complicated. Vaccines are available for both hepatitis A and B, but one for hepatitis C hasnt been approved.

If you have hepatitis C, your doctor may suggest you get the vaccine for both hepatitis A and B. These two types of viruses cause liver damage, so the added protection is a smart idea.

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Hepatitis B Vaccination Schedule For Children And Infants

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that babies and children receive three 0.5 milliliter doses of either Engerix-B or Recombivax HB, starting just after birth.

The current recommended hepatitis B vaccine schedule for children and infants is as follows:

If your child is undergoing hemodialysis, your healthcare provider may recommend that they receive additional doses of the HBV vaccine.

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What Determines The Cost Of A Hepatitis A Vaccine

Amino found that the median network rate for a hepatitis A vaccine is $179. The cost ranges across the US from $131 to $276a significant difference.

Because of the ACA, theres a good chance that youll pay $0 out-of-pocket for your vaccine if you have insurance. However, there are a number of factors that could affect how much you pay, including:

• Whether you have health insurance. If you dont have health insurance, you may have to pay the full cost of the vaccine out-of-pocket, depending on where you go to get it.

• Whether your insurance covers related service charges. Under the ACA, insurance companies must cover the full cost of the vaccine itself. However, you may be responsible for charges related to getting the vaccine, like the office visit.

• If you go to an out-of-network doctor. The ACA only requires insurance companies to cover the cost of your vaccine if you go to an in-network doctor. You can call your insurance provider ahead of time to make sure your doctor is in-networkor you can use Amino to check. Just click Look up your current doctor and type in their name.

You can use Amino as a guide to help you understand how much a vaccine may cost in your area, what factors into the total cost, and how much you might pay out-of-pocketbut you should always double check with your doctor and insurance company.

How To Get The Most For Your Money

Here are some best practices to make sure youre getting the most care for your money:

• Ask your insurance company about your costs, like co-insurance, copays, and deductibles.

• Utilize your Health Savings Account , Flexible Spending Account , and Health Reimbursement Account to cover out-of-pocket expenses, if you have any.

• Use Amino to compare prices for different doctors.

• If you dont have insurance, look into local health or travel centersthey sometimes have more affordable vaccine options.

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What Is Hepatitis B Virus

Hepatitis B virus attacks the liver. Hepatitis B virus infections are known as the “silent epidemic” because many infected people don’t experience symptoms until decades later when they develop hepatitis , cirrhosis , or cancer of the liver . Every year in the United States about 22,000 new hepatitis B infections occur and about 2,000 people die from their infections.

Why Is The Hepatitis B Vaccine Important

Because of the vaccine, cases of acute hepatitis B have decreased by a lot in the United States. But chronic hepatitis B is still common up to 2.2 million people in the United States have it. Chronic hepatitis B can lead to serious liver problems and even death.

Getting vaccinated is the best way to prevent hepatitis B.

Hepatitis B is a liver disease caused by a virus. There are 2 types of hepatitis B:

• Acute hepatitis B
• Chronic hepatitis B

Many children who get acute hepatitis B dont have any symptoms, but most adults do. Symptoms may include:

• Dark pee or clay-colored poop
• Pain in the muscles, joints, and stomach

Acute hepatitis B symptoms usually last a few weeks but they can last as long as 6 months.

If the acute hepatitis B infection does not go away after 6 months, its considered a chronic hepatitis B infection. Most people who have chronic hepatitis B dont have symptoms at first. But chronic hepatitis B is a lifelong illness that can lead to serious and possibly deadly liver problems, like:

• Has sex with a person who has hepatitis B
• Touches the blood or open sores of a person who has hepatitis B

All children and most adults need to get the hepatitis B vaccine.

Infants and children

All children need to get the hepatitis B vaccine as part of their routine vaccine schedule.

Children need 3 doses of the vaccine at the following ages:

• Birth for the first dose
• 1 through 2 months for the second dose
• 6 through 18 months for the third dose

Adults

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What Is Hepatitis B

Hepatitis B is a liver infection caused by the hepatitis B virus. It can cause long lasting liver damage.

Hepatitis B can be acute or chronic. If a person has acute hepatitis B, the virus makes them sick for a short time , then their body clears the virus and they recover.

If the infection last for more than 6 months, it is called chronic hepatitis. Chronic hepatitis is a lifelong illness.

Vaccination can prevent hepatitis B.

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Common And Local Adverse Events

HB vaccine

HB vaccine is well tolerated. Reactions are generally mild and transient, and include: irritability, headache, fatigue and injection site reactions in 10% or more of recipients.

HAHB vaccine

There is no increase in adverse events when HAHB vaccine is compared with HA vaccine given alone or concomitantly with HB vaccine at a different injection site. When the adult formulation of HAHB vaccine is given to children in the 2 dose schedule, there is no increase in adverse events compared with those occurring after administration of the pediatric formulation of HAHB vaccine.

DTaP-HB-IPV-Hib vaccine

Reactions are usually mild and transient, and include fever, irritability, restlessness and injection site reactions .

HBIg

Headache, diarrhea, fever, urticaria, angioedema and injection site reactions may occur.

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If I Already Have Hepatitis B Can The Vaccine Treat It

No. The hepatitis vaccine prevents hepatitis, but doesnt cure it if you already have it. If you have hepatitis B, there are other treatment options.

However, if you recently got exposed to the hepatitis B virus and you havent had the vaccine yet, tell your doctor right away. The vaccine and possibly other treatment can reduce your chances of getting hepatitis B if you get it within 2 weeks after you came into contact with the virus. The sooner you seek care after being exposed to hepatitis B, the better, so try to get there right away.

What Is The Treatment For Hepatitis B

Prevention is recommended by receiving a vaccine for HBV.

Receiving an injection of the hepatitis B immune globulin within 12 hours of coming in contact with the virus may help prevent the development of the disease.

At present, there is no specific treatment for patients with acute hepatitis B. Acute infection is usually short and will often resolve on its own. Your health care provider may recommend rest, and adequate nutrition and fluids to help your body fight the infection. Hospitalization may be required for patients who suffer from severe vomiting and who are unable to maintain adequate nutritional levels. It may also be required to prevent the development of complications.

While chronic infection cannot be cured, there are two standard treatments in Canada that may control the virus and prevent further damage to the liver.

• Antiviral medications can fight the virus and slow damage to the liver.
• Interferon which may be given for short periods and if effective, results in suppression of the virus.

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How Is The Hepatitis B Vaccine Made

People are protected against hepatitis B virus infection by making an immune response to a protein that sits on the surface of the virus. When hepatitis B virus grows in the liver, an excess amount of this surface protein is made. The hepatitis B vaccine is made by taking the part of the virus that makes surface protein and putting it into yeast cells. The yeast cells then produce many copies of the protein that are subsequently used to make the vaccine. When the surface protein is given to children in the vaccine, their immune systems make an immune response that provides protection against infection with the hepatitis B virus.

The first hepatitis B vaccine was made in the 1980s by taking blood from people infected with hepatitis B virus and separating or purifying the surface protein from the infectious virus. Because blood was used, there was a risk of contaminating the vaccine with other viruses that might be found in blood, such as HIV. Although contamination with HIV was a theoretical risk of the early, blood-derived hepatitis B vaccine, no one ever got HIV from the hepatitis B vaccine. That is because the blood used to make vaccine was submitted to a series of chemical treatments that inactivated any possible contaminating viruses. Today, there is no risk of contaminating the vaccine with other viruses because the surface protein is manufactured in the laboratory.

Who Should Not Get The Hepatitis B Vaccine

Hepatitis B is a safe vaccine that does not contain a live virus.

However, there are some circumstances in which doctors advise against getting the HBV vaccine.

You should not receive the hepatitis B vaccine if:

• youve had a serious allergic reaction to a previous dose of the hepatitis B vaccine
• you have a history of hypersensitivity to yeast or any other HBV vaccine components

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Does The Hepatitis B Vaccine Have Side Effects

Some children will develop pain or soreness in the local area of the shot, and low-grade fever.

There is one extremely rare, but serious, side effect. About 1 out of every 600,000 doses of the hepatitis B vaccine will cause a severe allergic reaction, called anaphylaxis, with symptoms including swelling of the mouth, difficulty breathing, low blood pressure or shock. Anaphylaxis usually occurs within 15 minutes of receiving the vaccine. Although anaphylaxis can be treated, it is quite frightening. People should remain at the doctors office for about 15 minutes after getting the vaccine.

Although the hepatitis B vaccine is made in yeast cells, no one has ever been shown to be allergic to the yeast proteins contained in the hepatitis B vaccine .