After the introduction of the hepatitis B vaccine in the United States in 1982, a greater than 90% reduction in new infections was achieved. However, approximately 1000 new cases of perinatal hepatitis B infection are still identified annually in the United States. Prevention of perinatal hepatitis B relies on the proper and timely identification of infants born to mothers who are hepatitis B s...

Hepatitis A virus (HAV) and hepatitis E virus (HEV) are causative agents of acute viral hepatitis transmitted via the fecal-oral route. Both viruses place a heavy burden on the public health and economy of developing countries. To test the possibility that HAV could be used as an expression vector for the development of a combination vaccine against hepatitis A and E infections, recombinant HAV...

This study assessed antibody persistence and immune memory to hepatitis B vaccine 20 y after priming with a recombinant hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccine during infancy. Infants were vaccinated according to a 0, 1, 6 mo schedule with or without simultaneous administration of hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIg). Half of the subjects enrolled received an interim booster dose at year 5 (boosted) group...

background: hepatitis b virus is one of the most common causes of chronic liver diseases. vaccination is the best way of prophylaxis and is of utmost importance. this study was conducted to compare the prophylactic effect of intradermal and intramuscular injection of hepatitis b vaccine. methods: a blind randomized clinical trial was performed among subjects who presented to the infectious dise...

background: hepatitis b virus (hbv) infection causes chronic infection in human population, with high mortality. one of the high risk communities is mentally retarded children, who are institutionalized. special conditions in these centers predispose children for hbv infection and transmission to healthy people. in this study our objective was to determine the prevalence of hbv infection among ...

Many Vaccine Information Statements are available in Spanish and other languages. See www.immunize.org/vis. 1 What is hepatitis B? Hepatitis B is a serious disease that affects the liver. It is caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). HBV can cause: Acute (short-term) illness. This can lead to: • loss of appetite • diarrhea and vomiting • tiredness • jaundice (yellow skin or eyes) • pain in muscl...

Infection with hepatitis B virus can lead to serious long-term complications including chronic hepatitis B virus infection leading to hepatocellular carcinoma, liver failure, and death. We report a case of prolonged hepatitis B antigenemia after routine vaccination with Engerix B. A positive hepatitis B surface antigen was found when the individual donated blood 18 days after vaccination. This ...

The approval, from 1986, of a series of recombinant hepatitis B vaccines was a landmark both in the growth of biotechnology and in the development of the vaccine innovation system. In this paper, we show how the early development of the hepatitis B vaccines was shaped by a political and economic context that newly favoured commercialisation of academic research, including the appropriation and ...