Hepatitis B is a viral disease that often leads to liver damage and other complications. Of the entire world population, 350 million people are infected with this virus, of which about 250 thousand die every year from chronic liver diseases. Every year up to 50 thousand new cases of hepatitis B are registered in Russia alone, and in total there are up to 5 million carriers of the virus.
Hepatitis B vaccine is the only reliable way to prevent the jaundice virus. This is a dangerous infection that sometimes does not produce specific symptoms. The disease can be accompanied by poor health, general weakness of the body, loss of appetite, aversion to fatty foods, liver diseases, itching and yellowing of the skin. Unfortunately, the acute form of hepatitis is not always treatable and 5-10% of cases turn into a chronic form. Then it can lead to cirrhosis and the development of liver cancer. In extreme cases, liver damage is so serious that it can lead to death.
Types of Hepatitis B
Hepatitis B exists in several varieties and appears in two forms:
Acute hepatitis develops immediately after transmission of the virus to humans and has severe symptoms. In some cases, the disease goes into a severe and life-threatening form called fulminant. More than 90% of adult patients with acute hepatitis are successfully cured, in others the disease becomes chronic.
If a newborn child has contracted hepatitis from the mother, in 95% of cases the disease will become chronic. The severity of symptoms with this form of the disease can be different and vary in a wide range from carriage, without any symptoms, to the active chronic stage of hepatitis, turning into cirrhosis of the liver. This is a serious disease characterized by a special condition of the liver tissue. There is a change in structure, the formation of scar sites, as a result of which the basic functions of the organ are violated.
Hepatitis C
Hepatitis B virus is found in all body fluids of a patient infected with the virus. The highest content of blood, sperm, vaginal discharge. Significantly less virus in sweat, saliva, tears, urine and other physiological secretions of a person.
The virus is transmitted directly by contact of the mucous membrane or damaged area of the skin with the biological fluid of a sick person.
Hepatitis B vaccination
In most countries of the world, hepatitis B vaccine is always available at a health facility. Of paramount importance is the vaccination of newborn children from the virus in the first day of their life. Vaccination is also mandatory for such categories of the population as:
- patients with diseases requiring intravenous injection, hemodialysis, or blood transfusion;
- staff of all medical institutions;
- students of medical schools;
- preschoolers and high school students;
- family members with chronic hepatitis carriage;
- people who often travel to areas with a high incidence of disease;
- People who have never been vaccinated against the virus.
For those who are not in any of the risk categories, the hepatitis B vaccine is administered as they wish. The degree of vaccination need is assessed based on how often dental and cosmetic surgeries, manicure, hairdressing salons, blood donation and blood transfusion centers are visited, etc. It must be remembered that the main route of infection is through sexual contact, the hepatitis B vaccine must be given in the absence of a permanent sexual partner.
Vaccination schedule
Hepatitis B vaccine is given intramuscularly three times during the first year of life, and then it is repeated at 14 years of age of the adolescent with an interval of 0-1-6 months. Hepatitis B vaccination results in the production of protective antibodies by the body. The procedure is also carried out for people who have not been vaccinated before the age of 14, health workers and medical students, patients with chronic diseases and people from their environment. Viral hepatitis in 5-10% of cases becomes chronic, which can lead to cirrhosis or liver cancer.
Hepatitis B vaccination is carried out in several stages. This is a mandatory procedure for all children. Vaccination schedule:
- the first dose - on the first day after birth, the baby is given the vaccine intramuscularly;
- the second dose - at 6-8 weeks of life, the vaccine is administered intramuscularly;
- the third dose - at the 7th month of life, the vaccine is administered in the same way.
Methods of immunizing infants against hepatitis are characterized by so-called long-term immune memory, i.e. after the introduction of the vaccine, the amount of antibodies for a long time remains at a high level. If there is a risk of infection and resistance to the virus has fallen, then there is a need for re-vaccination.
A newborn baby is most susceptible to the hepatitis virus. If the infection occurred precisely in this period, the risk of the disease becoming chronic increases to 100%. But at the same time, the immune factor that serums and vaccines create at this age is the most persistent.
Immediately after birth, children are vaccinated in maternity hospitals. Two more times - a month and six months after the first vaccination. The hepatitis vaccine should be in a children's clinic. With the correct vaccination scheme without omissions, 100% immunity is provided, which lasts at least up to fifteen years.
There are cases when the hepatitis B vaccine does not give an immune response. This happens in 5% of the total population. Then you need to look for other ways to protect against the virus using vaccines and vaccinations of a different kind.
Hepatitis B injections allowed in Russia
To date, modern substances and preparations have been developed for introduction into the human body in order to protect against the virus. Hepatitis B vaccine is used in Russia: Angerix-B, Regevac B, Eberbiovac HB, Sci-B-Vac, the recombinant yeast vaccine against hepatitis B. These drugs are mainly made on the basis of purified surface hepatitis B virus antigens obtained by genetic engineering by breeding yeast cells absorbed on aluminum hydroxide. These vaccines induce the production of specific antibodies against the HBsAg antigen. According to clinical trials, vaccination with these drugs provides effective protection against the disease in 95-100% of newborns, children and adults at risk. 95% of newborns and mothers with an antigen detected are completely protected from hepatitis B infection after vaccination according to the schedule of 0, 1, 2, 12 months. or 0, 1, 6 months. In healthy individuals under the age of 15 years, vaccinated according to the schedule of 0, 1, 6 months, after seven months from the first vaccination, a protective level of antibodies is observed. However, there are drugs whose effect is still not fully understood. For example, the Euvax drug is currently banned for use in the Russian Federation, as it has caused the death of many children in Vietnam.
Contraindications and side effects
The hepatitis B vaccine has the only contraindication in the form of intolerance to baker's yeast, since the vaccine may contain traces of them. In addition, premature infants may have a low immune response to vaccination. Then the hepatitis B vaccine should be delayed until the child's weight is increased to 2 kg.
Sometimes after vaccination there is an increase in body temperature for one or two days, accompanied by general malaise. Allergic reactions in the form of urticaria are extremely rare.
It is very important that pregnancy and lactation are not absolute contraindications for vaccination. In this case, vaccination with live bacteria lacking virulence is not recommended. Also, during pregnancy, vaccines are not administered against the following infectious diseases: measles, rubella, chickenpox, tuberculosis.