Hepatitis B vaccine: Risks and benefits of universal neonatal vaccination

After Implementation of a Universal Neonatal and Childhood Hepatitis B Vaccination Program: Is Universal Prenatal Hepatitis B Screening Still Necessary?

Objectives: To study the seroprevalenc of hepatitis surface antigen (HbsAg) among pregnant women attending their first prenatal examination and the value of the current policy of universal screening of pregnant women for hepatitis virus infection (HBV) among our local population. Setting: King Abdul-Aziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Methods: A retrospective analysis of routine pre...

the necessity of booster vaccination after neonatal hepatitis b vaccination

The necessity of booster vaccination after neonatal hepatitis B vaccination

Soon after introducing recombinant hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccine, universal neonatal vaccination became the corner stone of the preventive measures for this potentially life threatening infection (1-3). By 2006 more than 177 out of 193 member states of world health organization (WHO) introduced HBV vaccination in their national infant immunization programs (1). Following a complete series of ...

Neonatal Deaths After Hepatitis B Vaccine

Results: Of 1771 neonatal reports, there were 18 deaths in 8 boys and 9 girls (1 patient unclassified). The mean age at vaccination for these 18 cases was 12 days (range, 1-27 days); median time from vaccination to onset of symptoms was 2 days (range, 0-20 days); and median time from symptoms to death was 0 days (range, 0-15 days). The mean birth weight of the neonates (n = 15) was 3034 g (rang...

impact of universal vaccination against hepatitis b: the italian model