IMMUNIZATION – YOUR BEST PROTECTION

Vaccines are the best way to protect against some very serious diseases. Protect against two diseases, Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B by receiving this vaccine. 

In Ontario, the combined Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B vaccine is available for sale to:

• Individuals 1 year of age or older: one dose today, one month from today and six months from today (standard schedule)
• Individuals 19 years of age or older: one dose today, 7 days from today, 21 days from today and one year from today (rapid schedule)
• Individuals 1-15 years of age: one dose today, one dose 6-12 months from today (alternative schedule)

What is Hepatitis A?

• A disease caused by a virus that can affect your liver
• Typical symptoms of illness include anorexia, nausea, fatigue, fever and jaundice
• Severity of illness increases with age, symptoms not frequent in younger children
• Chronic infection unknown to occur, however complete recovery may be slow
• Approximately 25% of reported adult cases require hospitalization and a small number of cases die from initial infection 

How is Hepatitis A spread?

Hepatitis A is most frequently spread by feces to mouth contact.  This can occur:

∙       when hands become contaminated with the virus

∙       by consuming food or water that has been contaminated by an infected person

∙       from certain sexual practices

∙       occasionally, by injection drug equipment

What is Hepatitis B?

• A disease caused by a virus that can affect your liver
• Typical symptoms of illness include anorexia, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and jaundice
• Approximately 50% of adults who contract Hepatitis B virus do not have symptoms with initial infection
• A small number of people with Hepatitis B can die from the initial infection.  Up to 10% of adults develop lifelong infection which can lead to scarring and cancer of the liver later in life.  These people are called carriers.

How is Hepatitis B spread?

Hepatitis B is found mainly in blood and bodily fluids. Spread of the virus may occur by:

∙       having unprotected sex with an infected person

∙       sharing needles or other equipment for injection drug use

∙       transmission from mother to her baby during childbirth

∙       sharing needles, ink or other equipment for tattoos or body piercing

∙       needlestick injuries in health care workers

∙       blood splashes on the eye, nose, mouth or broken skin

∙       sharing razors, nail scissors or toothbrushes of an infected person

∙       rarely, through human bites from an infected person

How safe is the combined Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B vaccine?

Vaccines are among the safest of modern medicine.  The only individuals who should NOT receive the vaccine are those who:

• are ill with a fever or infection
• have had a severe allergic reaction (called anaphylaxis) to a past dose of this vaccine or any of its components (an antibiotic called neomycin, thimerosal, latex)

What are the side effects that I should watch for after vaccination?

Serious side effects from the vaccine are very rare (1:1,000,000). Most individuals have no problems following vaccination.  Possible side effects include:

• redness and soreness where the needle was given
• fatigue, headache, malaise and nausea
• febrile seizures as a result of a prior fever, not of the vaccine
• allergic reactions (ie. hives, swelling and difficulty breathing) occur very rarely.  If these symptoms occur, seek medical attention immediately

Call your doctor if you develop any symptoms that are severe or last more than a few days.  Please note that serious side effects are very unlikely to occur and the benefits of the vaccine are much greater than the risks.

If you choose to receive this vaccine today, it is required that you wait for four weeks before donating blood.

For more information on this vaccine, contact one of the numbers below and ask to speak to a Nurse in the Vaccine Preventable Diseases Program.