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What is Hepatitis B?
Hepatis B is virus that can cause short term illnesses that lead to:
• loss of appetite
• tiredness
• pain in muscles, joints, and stomach
• diarrhea and vomiting
• jaundice (yellow skin or eyes)
Hepatitis B can also cause long term illnesses that lead to:
• liver damage
• liver cancer
• death
About 1.25 million people in the U.S. have hepatitis infections.
Wtih the signed consent of their parents, babies are given a Hapatitis B vaccination within 12 hours of birth. As part of a worldwide effort to eliminate the disease, the American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended that all newborns be immunized against it. Second and third vaccinations will be given by your baby's doctor at 1 - 2 months and between 6-18 months.
What are the risks from the Hepatitis B vaccine?
A vaccine, like any medicine, is capable of causing serious problems, such as severe allergic reactions. The risk of hepatitis B vaccine causing serious harm, or death, is extremely small.
Getting hepatitis B vaccine is much safter than getting hepatitis B disease. Most people do not have any problems with the vaccine.
Mild problems:
• soreness where the shot was given, lasting a day or two
• mild to moderate fever
Severe problems:
• serious allergic reaction (very rare)
Download the current Childhood Immunization Schedule here. Or for more information about this and other childhood immunizations, check out the Center for Disease Control web site.
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