About Vaccinations - Hepatitis B

When I take Willow to the Pediatrician and she gets any kind of shots, the doctor gives us a pamphlet with information on the shots (Likely from the CDC). So, since everyone is all up in arms about the links between vaccinations and things like autism, I thought I'd take an in-depth look at the vaccinations, starting with the first vaccination that Willow got after she was born, the Hepatitis B (Hep B) vaccination.

The United States' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Vaccinations and Immunizations section has a recommended immunization schedule that you can download. They also have a lot of great information for each and every vaccination so this is where I will start in my search for information. Here is their pamphlet on Hep B.

It is recommended that this vaccination be administered over three shots; at birth, between 1 and 2 months, and between 6 and 18 months of age.

So, how about a brief history on Hep B? According to Wikipedia, the earliest record of an epidemic caused by Hepatitis B virus was made by Lurman in 1885. An outbreak of smallpox occurred in Bremen in 1883 and 1,289 shipyard employees were vaccinated with lymph from other people. After several weeks, and up to eight months later, 191 of the vaccinated workers became ill with jaundice and were diagnosed as suffering from serum hepatitis. Other employees who had been inoculated with different batches of lymph remained healthy.

Lurman's paper, now regarded as a classical example of an epidemiological study, proved that contaminated lymph was the source of the outbreak. Later, numerous similar outbreaks were reported following the introduction, in 1909, of hypodermic needles that were used, and more importantly reused, for administering Salvarsan for the treatment of syphilis.

The virus was not discovered until 1965 when Baruch Blumberg, then working at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), discovered the Australia antigen (later known to be Hepatitis B surface antigen, or HBsAg) in the blood of Australian aboriginal people. Although a virus had been suspected since the research published by MacCallum in 1947. In 1970, D.S. Dane and others discovered the virus particle by electron microscopy. By the early 1980s the genome of the virus had been sequenced, and the first vaccines were being tested.

Now, what exactly is Hepatitis and why do we routinely vaccinate against the "B" variety? According to the CDC, Hepatitis means inflammation of the liver. Toxins, certain drugs, some diseases, heavy alcohol use, and bacterial and viral infections can all cause hepatitis. Hepatitis is also the name of a family of viral infections that affect the liver; the most common types in the United States are hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C. These three forms of Hepatitis are caused by three different viruses. Each of them can cause similar symptoms but they have different modes of transmission. There are vaccinations for Hepatitis A and B, but not for C.

There are two types of Hep B, acute and chronic. Acute hepatitis B virus infection is a short-term illness that occurs within the first 6 months after someone is exposed to the hepatitis B virus. Acute infection can — but does not always — lead to chronic infection. Chronic hepatitis B virus infection is a long-term illness that occurs when the hepatitis B virus remains in a person’s body.

Hep A is the only version that does not lead to chronic infection, and Hep C is usually chronic. In medicine, a chronic disease is a disease that is long-lasting or recurrent. The term chronic describes the course of the disease, or its rate of onset and development.

Hepatitis B is contagious and there are several ways to get it:

• Birth (spread from an infected mother to her baby during birth)


• Sex with an infected partner


• Sharing needles, syringes, or other drug-injection equipment


• Sharing items such as razors or toothbrushes with an infected person


• Direct contact with the blood or open sores of an infected person


• Exposure to blood from needlesticks or other sharp instruments
  

So, the obvious question (to me) is why get vaccinated? And the obvious answer (to me) is to prevent disease. Can you imagine a world without disease because everyone has been inoculated? Yeah, I can't either but it's a dream of medicine, right?

According to the CDC, the Hepatitis B vaccine can prevent hepatitis B, and the serious consequences of HBV infection, including liver cancer and cirrhosis. Routine hepatitis B vaccination of U.S. children began in 1991. Since then, the reported incidence of acute hepatitis B among children and adolescents has dropped by more than 95% – and by 75% in all age groups.

Hepatitis B vaccine is made from a part of the hepatitis B virus. It cannot cause HBV infection. Hepatitis B vaccine is usually given as a series of 3 or 4 shots. This vaccine series gives long-term protection from HBV infection, possibly lifelong.

As with any vaccination, there are risks involved with taking the shot. Hepatitis B is a very safe vaccine. Most people do not have any problems with it.

The following mild problems have been reported:

• Soreness where the shot was given (up to about 1 person in 4).


• Temperature of 99.9°F or higher (up to about 1 person in 15).
  

Severe problems are extremely rare. Severe allergic reactions are believed to occur about once in 1.1 million doses.

A vaccine, like any medicine, could cause a serious reaction. But the risk of a vaccine causing serious harm, or death, is extremely small. More than 100 million people have gotten hepatitis B vaccine in the United States.

I found an awesome website that lists the package inserts and ingredients for all available vaccinations (e.g. provided by MERK or GlaxoSmithKline). It's called the World Association for Vaccine Education and a link to their Hep B page can be found here.

Since we always hear about the link between getting vaccinated and some other disease or condition, I did a search to see if there were links between Hep B and any kind of disease or neurological disorder and I actually found something!! Hep B had apparently been linked to Multiple Sclerosis. However, a study was completed and the results were released by the CDC in 2001. According to the study, "The weight of the available scientific evidence does not support a causal relationship between hepatitis B vaccination and MS or other demyelinating diseases."

The CDC when making this claim looked at a body of evidence that included clinical trials, the number of people who have been vaccinated world wide (hundreds of millions) without developing MS or any other autoimmune disease, several studies performed by the CDC and scientists in Europe as well as an analysis of US Pharmacy's database which checked for claims for Hep B vaccine followed by subsequent claims for treatment of central nervous system demyelinating (neurological) disorders.

More information:
National Institutes of Health page on Hep B
Guide to Contraindications to Vaccination (a Contraindication is a condition or factor that increases the risks involved in using a particular drug, carrying out a medical procedure, or engaging in a particular activity.)
Facts for Parents About Vaccine Safety from the AAP

And since there are those people that are concerned about links of vaccinations to neurological disorders and the like I thought I'd include some of their links as well:

Generation Rescue is an international movement of scientists, physicians and parent-volunteers researching the causes and treatments for autism and mentoring thousands of families in recovering their children from autism.

The Thinktwice Global Vaccine Institute was established in 1996 to provide parents and other concerned people with educational resources enabling them to make more informed vaccine decisions. Thinktwice encourages an uncensored exchange of vaccine information, and supports every family's right to accept or reject vaccines. Thinktwice's Hep B page.



I asked my pediatrician if she had a lot of parents who were choosing to NOT vaccinate their children. She said she could count on one hand the total number and that she, of course, recommends AGAINST not vaccinating your children.



Also:
Rotavirus Vaccination Information
Diphtheria Vaccination Information