The HBV vaccine is a vaccination against viral hepatitis B. It reliably protects a child or adult from this dangerous disease. The first drug for vaccination was created back in 1982, but in Russia widespread use of this tool began in 2002. Currently, HBV has been included in the vaccination calendar. Hepatitis B vaccine is administered to newborns. Many mothers have a question: "Why vaccinate a baby at such an early age?" Let's find the answer to it together.
What is hepatitis B?
Hepatitis B is a viral disease that causes inflammation of the liver. There is jaundice, fever, pain in the right hypochondrium. Disease can cause serious consequences, such as cirrhosis and liver cancer.
The virus itself does not act detrimental to the liver cells. But it disrupts the immune system. As a result, your own lymphocytes begin to destroy the liver. We can say that the virus triggers an autoimmune process.
The disease is extremely common. According to the World Health Organization, about 300 million people are asymptomatic carriers of the virus. And about 1 million people die every year from complications of hepatitis. These are mainly children, adolescents and young people under the age of 20 years.
The insidiousness of the virus lies in the fact that in young children, hepatitis most often occurs without severe symptoms. And the smaller the child’s age, the more likely it is that the disease will not have any symptoms. If the baby is infected with hepatitis B and he has obvious manifestations of jaundice, then this course of pathology is considered more favorable. This suggests that the baby's immunity resists infection. In contrast, the asymptomatic course of hepatitis means that the body does not fight the virus.
Where can a child become infected?
Sometimes mothers are reluctant to give the HBV vaccine to newborns. Women mistakenly believe that if they were tested for hepatitis during pregnancy, then their babies cannot be sick.
There are the following transmission routes for hepatitis B virus:
- through the blood;
- household contact;
- from the mother during childbirth or in utero;
- genital tract.
Hepatitis can not be infected by airborne droplets, as well as through water and food. If we talk about babies, then they most often get an infection from the mother. And even if a woman passed a test for hepatitis during pregnancy, this does not exclude infection of the baby. After all, the expectant mother could already visit hospitals after the examination, undergo cosmetic procedures or dental treatment, and this increases the risk of infection. In utero, children usually become infected during pregnancy pathologies. A healthy placenta protects the fetus from infection. Therefore, more often newborns become infected with hepatitis while passing through the birth canal of an infected mother.
An unvaccinated baby can get the virus during medical procedures: blood transfusion, surgery, tooth extraction. This is the most common way to infect children. A child may become infected through household contact with sick family members or peers. Hepatitis B vaccine (HBV) protects children from this danger.
Can hepatitis be cured?
Hepatitis B is quite difficult to diagnose in children. Often the disease disguises itself as other pathologies and proceeds with symptoms of respiratory diseases. There is only one way to detect the virus - a blood test from a vein for the "Australian" antigen. But often the doctor assumes that the child does not have hepatitis, but ARVI, and the diagnosis is not carried out in time.
Hepatitis B treatment is very expensive. To achieve a stable long remission, only special antiviral drugs - pegylated interferons - help . But even these expensive drugs do not completely eliminate the virus, but only stop the process of liver destruction. In addition, such medicines have many side effects. Such a severe and complex disease is easier to prevent than to treat. For the purpose of prevention, they are vaccinated with HBV.
How does the vaccine work?
A small amount of protein containing antigen is taken from the surface of the virus. It is placed in a nutrient medium from yeast, which provides enhanced cell division. As a result, the substance necessary for the drug is formed. It is separated from the yeast solution, aluminum hydroxide and a preservative are added.
After the vaccine is introduced into the human body, the protein comes out under the influence of aluminum hydroxide. The body begins to produce antibodies to the antigen. As a result, a stable immunity against hepatitis B virus is formed.
What does the name HBV vaccine mean? The abbreviation is as follows: HBV is the hepatitis B virus.
Vaccination Products
Currently, polyclinics are vaccinated with the following types of drugs for mass vaccination:
- "Recombinant hepatitis B yeast vaccine."
- Angerix.
- Eberbiovac.
- H-B-VAX II.
- "Regevac B".
- "Biowak".
- "Euwax".
- "Boobo Coca."
The Russian drug Recombinant Hepatitis B Vaccine Yeast Vaccine does not contain preservatives. Such means are recommended to vaccinate children.
You should pay attention to the drug "Bubo-coc AKDS + HBV." It can be attributed to combined means. At the same time, they receive the DTP vaccine and vaccinate children with HBV. Deciphering the name of the drug means adsorbed pertussis-diphtheria-tetanus vaccine (DTP) and viral hepatitis B (HBV). Thus, this vaccine protects the child from several diseases at once.
There is another variation of this product called Bubo-M ADS-M + HBV. In addition to hepatitis, this vaccine acts against diphtheria and tetanus, but does not prevent whooping cough.
All drugs for hepatitis B vaccines contain only antigen. They have no microorganisms, as these are inactivated vaccines.
How is the vaccine administered?
HBV vaccine is given by injection. Usually it is administered intramuscularly, since subcutaneous administration reduces the effect of vaccination and causes compaction. Aluminum hydroxide can lead to subcutaneous inflammation. An injection is never done in the buttock, since in this area the muscles are located very deep. The HBV vaccine is placed on the thigh for children and adults on the shoulder.
How to vaccinate newborns?
For complete protection against hepatitis B, several injections of the drug for vaccination are required. Vaccinations for newborns are done according to the following scheme:
- For the first time, the drug is administered within 12 hours after birth. It is important to vaccinate from hepatitis to BCG vaccination (from tuberculosis), since they can not be done on the same day.
- The second and third injection is done at 3 and 6 months.
After the first vaccination, 50% of children develop immunity against hepatitis, after the second - in 75%, and the third vaccination provides 100% protection against the disease.
This schedule is suitable for healthy babies who are not at risk. But there are newborns with an increased likelihood of infection. These are children whose mothers suffer from hepatitis, are carriers of the virus or were not tested during pregnancy for this disease. In such cases, a fast vaccination regimen against HBV is used. What does it mean? Vaccination is carried out not 3, but 4 times according to the following schedule:
- The first injection is delivered within 12 hours after birth.
- The second and third injection is done at 1 and 2 months, and then repeated at the age of 1 year.
If the vaccine was administered in infancy, then it will last about 22 years. Then, already in adulthood, the vaccine can be repeated or tested for antibodies to ensure the presence of immunity against hepatitis. In some people, vaccination can last a lifetime.
Sometimes it happens that the recommended timing of vaccinations is violated due to an acute illness of the child. In this case, we must remember that the minimum interval between injections can not be less than 1 month. As for the maximum interval, it should not exceed 4 months for the second vaccination and 18 months for the third.
Many parents have heard of the HBV-1 vaccine. What kind of vaccine is this? This is the first administration of the hepatitis B vaccine indicated on the calendar.
How do older children get vaccinated?
If for some reason the child was not vaccinated in infancy, then vaccination can be done at an older age. It is not necessary to do an antigen test before vaccination. Injections are done three times, while adhering to the following scheme:
- The first vaccination.
- The second injection after 1 month.
- The third injection six months after the first.
If the child is sick with hepatitis or is a carrier of infection, then injections will not harm him, but they will not bring any benefit. The vaccine can last from 15 to 20 years. After this period, an antibody test should be taken and the vaccination repeated if necessary.
Adult vaccination
HBV vaccination for adults is done quite often. The vaccine has been used recently, and most people have not received hepatitis B prophylaxis in childhood. Usually do 3 injections:
- The first injection is given immediately when you see a doctor.
- The second - in 1 month.
- The third - six months after the first.
Immunity can last from 8 to 20 years. After this period, do revaccination. Health workers have an increased risk of contracting hepatitis, so they need vaccinations every 5 years.
If a person needs revaccination from other infections, you can use combination drugs, such as Hexavac. This is a convenient option for vaccinating HBV in adults. The decoding of the designation of the vaccine "AaKDS + hepatitis B + inactivated polio vaccine + Act-HIB" indicates that the drug gives immunity not only from hepatitis. The drug protects against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, poliomyelitis, as well as hemophilic infection, which causes inflammation of the respiratory system and sepsis.
If a person has had contact with a patient with hepatitis, then in the first 2 weeks an emergency vaccination schedule can help:
- The first injection immediately when contacting a medical facility.
- The second - on the 7th day.
- The third is on the 21st day.
- The fourth - 6-12 months after the first.
An immunoglobulin with ready-made antibodies against hepatitis B is administered together with the vaccine. This scheme can be used only for adults and adolescents, it is not used for small children.
How to prepare for vaccination?
Hepatitis B vaccine does not require special preparation. It is only necessary to measure the temperature before the procedure. For acute respiratory infections, vaccination should be delayed. If the body temperature is more than +37 degrees, then vaccination should be delayed.
Sometimes doctors advise taking an antihistamine tablet before vaccination to prevent allergies. However, this is optional. Such recommendations should be followed only if the child or adult has allergic reactions in the past.
Contraindications to vaccination
This vaccine is quite safe and has few contraindications. Refrain from vaccination is necessary in the following cases:
- during pregnancy;
- during acute infectious diseases or with exacerbation of chronic ailments;
- with intolerance to any component of the drug;
- with allergies to yeast or previous vaccinations.
It should be noted that if a baby has a birth injury or hemolytic jaundice due to a Rh factor conflict, this is not a contraindication to vaccination.
Side effects
Since the vaccine is inactivated and does not contain microorganisms, side effects are extremely rare. Usually there is a slight rise in temperature and skin reactions: redness, tightening and slight soreness at the injection site. Allergic reactions are possible only in rare cases.
Often mothers are afraid or do not consider it necessary to vaccinate children against hepatitis B. But their fears are in vain, since the vaccine has a high degree of safety. Parents are mistaken when they believe that a newborn cannot be infected with this virus. Infection can occur at any age. Only on time vaccination can protect the child from a dangerous disease.