Category

• Immunizing agent, active

Description

Hepatitis (hep-ah-TY-tiss) B vaccine recombinant is used to prevent infection by the hepatitis B virus. The vaccine works by causing your body to produce its own protection (antibodies) against the disease.

Hepatitis B vaccine recombinant is made without any human blood or blood products or any other substances of human origin and cannot give you the hepatitis B virus (HBV) or the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

HBV infection is a major cause of serious liver diseases, such as virus hepatitis and cirrhosis, and a type of liver cancer called primary hepatocellular carcinoma.

Pregnant women who have hepatitis B infection or are carriers of hepatitis B virus can give the disease to their babies when they are born. These babies often suffer serious long-term illnesses from the disease.

Immunization against hepatitis B disease is recommended for all newborn babies, infants, children, and adolescents up to 19 years old. It is also recommended for adults who live in areas that have a high rate of hepatitis B disease or who may be at increased risk of infection from hepatitis B virus. These adults include:

• Sexually active homosexual and bisexual males, including those with HIV infection.
• Sexually active heterosexual persons with multiple partners.
• Persons who may be exposed to the virus by means of blood, blood products, or human bites, such as health care workers, employees in medical facilities, patients and staff of live-in facilities and day-care programs for the developmentally disabled, morticians and embalmers, police and fire department personnel, and military personnel.
• Persons who have kidney disease or who undergo blood dialysis for kidney disease.
• Persons with blood clotting disorders who receive transfusions of clotting-factor concentrates.
• Household and sexual contacts of HBV carriers.
• Persons in areas with high risk of HBV infection [in the population], such as Alaskan Eskimos, Pacific Islanders, Haitian and Indochinese immigrants, and refugees from areas that have a high rate of hepatitis B disease; persons accepting orphans or adoptees from these areas; and travelers to these areas.
• Persons who use illegal injection drugs.
• Prisoners.

This vaccine is available only from your doctor or other authorized health care professional, in the following dosage form:

Parenteral
• Injection (U.S. and Canada)

Brand Names

Some commonly used brand names are:

In the U.S.—

• Engerix-B
• Recombivax HB
• Recombivax HB Dialysis Formulation

In Canada—

• Engerix-B
• Recombivax HB
• Recombivax HB Dialysis Formulation

Another commonly used name is HB vaccine .