What is hepatitis B vaccine?
- Characteristic: An artificial inactive vaccine genetically engineered to prevent hepatitis B infection.
- Inoculation method: intramuscular injection.
- Dosage: 0.5cc each time
When should one get the hepatitis B vaccination?
All children should get the 1st dose within 24 hours of birth, 2nd dose at 1 month, and 3rd dose at 6 months, for three doses in total.
What are the contraindications?
- Newborns with a fetal weight of less than 2000 grams.
- Babies with asphyxia, dyspnea, cardiac insufficiency, severe jaundice (serum total bilirubin > 15 mg/ ml), coma, convulsion, or other serious illnesses.
- Congenital malformations and severe visceral dysfunction.
- Acute fever.
What happens after vaccination?
- Adverse effects rarely happen. Occasionally, there might be pain, local swelling, or redness where the shot was given. Mild fever and soreness may also be encountered.
- Drink plenty of water and get enough rest; in the event of discomfort, please visit the hospital for evaluation.
Reference
- Cheng, Z. Y. & Wu, Y. L. (2017). Pediatric care of Infectious Diseases In Chen, Y.Z. (Ed.), Practical pediatric care (8th ed., pp278-285).Taipei: Hua Xing press.
- Health Promotion Administration, Ministry of Health and Welfare. (2018). Children’s Health Handbook. Taipei City: Health Administration, Ministry of Health and Welfare.
- Liu, J. L., Zhang, X. F., Huang, Z. J. & Zhou, Y. M. (2016). Taiwan hepatitis B epidemic prevention information. Epidemic information, 32(14), 290-300.