After talking a few days ago about tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis vaccines, we continue with the series of entries in which we explain everything related to childhood vaccines. Today we are going to talk about the hepatitis B vaccine, which in childhood is combined with other vaccines such as tetanus and diphtheria, loose, that is, a vaccine alone, or combined with hepatitis A.
The hepatitis B vaccine is administered, in childhood, in different ways depending on the area in which you live. I comment this because there are autonomous communities where babies are administered as soon as they are born, and others that do not do so until two months. From that age it is applied within the hexavalent vaccine, administered at 2, 4 and 6 months, which protects against six diseases: tetanus, diphtheria, polio, pertussis or pertussis, Haemophilus influenzae type B and hepatitis B.
It is a vaccine that is administered three times and that nor need any memories, so once administered at those ages (2, 4 and 6 months) there is no need to reapply it. If it is administered to newborns, the application of one of the other three doses is optional, that is, you can count the first one administered at birth as the first and then put the baby only two, or not count it and put all three. Both solutions are considered correct.
If the baby's mother has hepatitis B surface antigens (HbsAg), vaccinating the baby before 12 hours of life is recommended in all cases. If you do not have them, as I say, the administration of that first dose will depend on the autonomous community.
What is hepatitis B?
Hepatitis B is a disease caused by the hepatitis B virus, which causes inflammation of the liver. The contagion is produced by contact between body fluids.
The most frequent symptoms of the disease are lack of appetite, fatigue, fever, muscle and joint pain, nausea and vomiting, yellow skin and cloudy urine. On many occasions the body is able to defeat the virus and healing occurs, however there are times when this is not possible and the virus remains in the body, leaving the person diagnosed with chronic hepatitis B.
This can make the disease worse at any time in a serious way and even with liver cancer.
If it is spread by fluids, why vaccinate children?
Contagion, as I say, is fluid. Contact with saliva, blood or sperm. This makes that, once a child is born healthy, if his mother does not have hepatitis B and has not been infected by giving birth, it is very difficult for a child to get it. Now, difficult is not impossible, and you never know if one day it could be spread in any way (as a child or as an adult, which is more likely).
To avoid it, as a child, it is vaccinated when all are babies since it is a vaccine that only needs three doses and, doing so, very high vaccination coverage is achieved.
How to prevent the disease
Hepatitis B is prevented by avoiding all contact with other people's fluids. At the infantile level there is little possible prevention, since in hospitals the contagion is already very difficult (the needles are sterile and are thrown away, the blood plasma is filtered so that transfusion diseases cannot occur, etc.), so prevention It is more for adults, who even vaccinated should take it into account.
Does hepatitis B have treatment?
As we have said, hepatitis B is caused by a virus, and as we know, viruses have no treatment. Yes, some people with chronic hepatitis B can be treated with antiviral drugs, but the criteria for medicating or not depending on the severity of the condition.
If the liver is really very affected the only "treatment" is liver transplantation.
Where do you get the vaccine?
Babies, that is, when placed at birth, at 2, 4 and 6 months, are given intramuscularly (inside the muscle) in the leg. In the quadriceps, to be more exact. Formerly it was administered in the buttock, but it has been seen that the absorption is worse, with muscles such as deltoids (in the shoulder, but not recommended in babies) and the quadriceps being of choice.
Hepatitis B vaccine side effects
The hepatitis B vaccine, when joined by other vaccines, can cause side effects derived from hepatitis B, but also from the accompanying vaccines. The dose of hepatitis B administered alone has few serious side effects, although pain, redness and swelling of the injection site and restlessness may occur.
The tetanus portion of the vaccine can cause pain and swelling of the injection site, and sometimes a rash that usually disappears within 24 hours. Diphtheria can have the same side effects as tetanus.
When accompanied by pertussis, it can cause fever and irritability, and if accompanied by Haemophilus influenza type B it can also give some fever. Although in general, any vaccine can be accompanied by fever.
The occurrence of brain inflammation after the vaccine (I speak of the combined vaccine) but the incidence is very low (1 in 110,000 cases) and it is not known whether it is a reaction to the vaccine or if it is caused by other substances or infections.
Which children should not receive the hepatitis B vaccine
Those who are yeast allergic, by how the vaccine is created, although they are very rare allergies in children.
Is it related to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome?
As we explained in the previous entries, it is said that the diphtheria and tetanus vaccine, combined with the other vaccines, could be related to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). But nevertheless, there is no scientific evidence that shows that there is a relationship between one thing and another.
The myth is still alive because the first dose is given at two months, when the risk of SIDS is very high.
Photos | Tom & Katrien, Cory Doctorow on Flickr More information | Medline Plus, VaccinesAEP In Babies and more | 180,000 children die each year from neonatal tetanus, "Vaccines are very effective in preventing disease." Interview with Carlos González (I) and (II), Ten things we should know about vaccines
