Effective and safe: vaccination is the only way to prevent hepatitis B infection in adults

What is hepatitis B in adults?

Hepatitis B virus disease is a wide range of disease conditions determined by the activity of the virus itself and the response of the human immune system to its introduction. After the virus enters the body, bypassing the acute phase of hepatitis B, which usually lasts about six months, the pathological process can enter the chronic stage.

Further, there may be several scenarios for the development of events: someone is simply a carrier of the virus without the formation of inflammation in the liver, that is, hepatitis. The virus lives in liver cells, does not multiply very intensively and does not cause aggression towards liver cells. Fortunately, in our country there are a majority of such people with the hepatitis B virus.

The situation is worse for those whose hepatitis B virus is more aggressive and causes active inflammation in the liver - that same chronic hepatitis B. In this case, treatment is necessary, since without it the disease can progress to the development of cirrhosis and liver cancer. In addition, a very small proportion of those infected with the hepatitis B virus may be in the phase of immune tolerance, when the virus actively multiplies and is found in large quantities in the blood, but the immune system does not produce antibodies and does not respond to the virus. In this case, hepatitis does not develop and liver cells are not damaged.

How is adult hepatitis different from childhood hepatitis?

As a pathological process, hepatitis does not differ much. After infection, the virus often leaves the body, leaving behind immune memory - protective antibodies that in the future protect a person from re-infection.

“The difference between an adult and a child encountering the hepatitis B virus for the first time is that infection in childhood - especially in infancy - is most likely to lead to the development of a chronic form of the disease, while adults have a higher chance of getting rid of the virus on their own, — Maria Matsievich clarifies. — Thus, there is an inverse relationship: the older the person, the more likely self-healing is. That’s why the first vaccination after a baby is born is the hepatitis B vaccine.”

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Reviews

Alexey Nikolaevich

30.06.2021

MEDSI Clinic in Krasnogorsk

Urgently! MEDSI management, pay your attention to the vaccination and vaccination room!!! I haven’t met such specialists as Olga Nemova for a long time. Every time she will tell you everything, give instructions, worry about your condition, she is very attentive and it is clear that she loves her job. She treats her patients with maternal care, and what a light hand she is when it comes to injections! What a professional! Olga, God bless you and your loved ones! MEDSI management - appreciate such employees!!! THANK YOU.

Patient

25.05.2021

MEDSI Clinic in Krasnogorsk

I would like to express my gratitude to nurses Sukhova I.V. and Tamonova Yu.V. and general practitioner Kovalevsky, who carried out the vaccination at the highest professional level and with great understanding of elderly patients. Thanks to all the staff for their efficient and friendly work.

Patient

27.01.2021

Clinical diagnostic center MEDSI on Krasnaya Presnya

Thanks to the Department of Internal Medicine for conducting vaccinations.

All reviews (8) Leave a review

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What does the hepatitis B vaccine give a person?

The hepatitis B virus is insidious in that it integrates into the genome of the hepatocyte - the liver cell, subordinating it to itself, changing its life program. This fact explains the extremely low probability of getting rid of the virus by any available means. In addition, chronic infection caused by the hepatitis B virus is one of the unfavorable background conditions of the liver, which greatly increases the risk of developing primary liver cancer at any stage of the disease.

“Another argument in favor of timely and universal vaccination is the high chances of infection with this virus: it turns out that only two viral particles entering the blood of a healthy person are necessary for infection. A person infected with the hepatitis B virus should be wary of becoming infected with the hepatitis delta virus, which multiplies only in the presence of the hepatitis B virus. If this happens, then the most insidious hepatitis develops, quickly affecting the liver, in most cases leading to a sad ending,” the expert added.

Vaccination allows you to effectively protect yourself from the consequences of a dangerous enemy, prepares the immune system in advance to meet the hepatitis B virus and prevents all the consequences described above.

Cost of the procedure

According to the legislation of the Russian Federation, all children and adults can receive a hepatitis vaccination free of charge at their place of residence. Maximum age limit: 55 years

and it is not related to the fact that vaccination is contraindicated after this. It is possible after 55 years, but at your own expense.

If you are vaccinated on a paid basis, the cost depends on the vaccine itself. On average in Russia you can do this for about 2000 rubles

, and in Ukraine for
330-500 hryvnia
.

What is the hepatitis B vaccine?

The vaccine is a drug created on the basis of the surface antigen of the hepatitis B virus, which is grown in laboratory (artificial) conditions. The vaccine simulates the entry of a virus into the body, and in response to this, the human immune system begins to produce protective antibodies. In fact, during vaccination, it is not the virus that enters the bloodstream, but its dummy, devoid of the main harmful “organs” of the virus - the genome of the virus and its core antigen. As a result, the vaccine itself turns out to be absolutely safe, but at the same time, thanks to the “deception” of the immune system, it is highly effective and efficient.

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Vaccines used

According to the rules, children under 3 years of age are given an injection in the thigh.

The most popular vaccines today in the Russian Federation and Ukraine are:

• Recombinant yeast hepatitis B vaccine
• Euvax B;
• Bubo-M;
• Engerix V;
• Recombinant hepatitis B vaccine (rDNA);
• Eberbiovak.

All drugs are based on the same basis; they can even be interchanged at different stages of vaccination. This means, for example, that the first injection can be given with the Bubo-M vaccine, and the second with Eberbiovac.

Is it possible to get vaccinated at the same time as other injections?

It is possible to administer the hepatitis B vaccine with other injections if they are given in different places. There are no contraindications in this regard. Simultaneous vaccination against hepatitis A and B is also permitted.

Is it possible to still get hepatitis B despite being vaccinated?

Cases of hepatitis B after a full three-time vaccination are casuistic. Analyzing such incidents, experts came to the conclusion that the sick were given a low-quality vaccine without observing the temperature regime for storing the drug. or the process of developing antibodies after vaccination occurred against the background of immunosuppressive therapy, when medications suppressed the activity of one’s own immune system and blocked any immune reactions. As a result, despite vaccination, the person did not develop protective antibodies to the surface antigen of the hepatitis B virus.

Special instructions

Viral hepatitis can have a hidden course. If vaccination is carried out during the incubation period, the development of the disease cannot be avoided. It is also worth noting that Combiotech does not protect the human body from other forms of hepatitis. The intensity and speed of the immune response depends on various factors, including the age and gender of the person.

After 40 years, there is an age-related decline in the body's immune response. For such patients, the doctor may recommend the use of an additional dose of the vaccine. Those people undergoing hemodialysis treatment who have various immune disorders may also benefit from additional immunization. Even if there is no history of allergies, the nurse administering the vaccine should have access to emergency medications. Such remedies stop the acute course of allergic reactions. They can occur either immediately after the vaccine is administered or within 30 minutes or more after vaccination.

Hepatitis B vaccination schedule for adults

For both children and adults without risk factors, there is a generally accepted three-time vaccination schedule: the initial administration of the vaccine, and then repeating it twice one and six months after the first injection. In fact, those people who have received three vaccinations within six months, given at any interval, can be considered fully vaccinated.

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Vaccination schedules

For adults

Adults who have not previously been vaccinated against hepatitis B are vaccinated as follows:

If there are patients with hepatitis B in the family or the patient has close contact with other infected people, then the following scheme is used:

This scheme is also relevant for children who often come into contact with people infected with hepatitis B.

For children

Children whose mother is infected with hepatitis B or has not been vaccinated at one time are vaccinated according to the following scheme:

For other children, the following scheme is used:

The same scheme is used for children who were not vaccinated in the maternity hospital. That is, the first vaccination is carried out when adults approach the child, the second is carried out a month later, the third after 6 months.

If after the first vaccination negative symptoms were observed, a rise in temperature and the person did not tolerate it well, then subsequent vaccinations should be done only after consultation with a specialist.

Are there possible side effects from vaccination?

The hepatitis B vaccine is recognized as the safest in the world. That is why it is administered without fear to newborns in the first hours of life. Side effects sometimes include short-term pain in the arm after the injection. Allergic reactions are extremely rare, most of them are mild to moderate and can be easily controlled with antiallergic drugs.

“Associating vaccination against the hepatitis B virus with the development of serious systemic and autoimmune diseases, autism, neurological and other diseases is completely inappropriate: if you understand the mechanism of formation of protective antibodies, then “linking” this simple process to the development of the listed painful conditions will seem, at the very least, slander “- assures Maria Matsievich.

Contraindications to the use of the vaccine

The medicine may be dangerous if the patient has the following problems.

1. The patient cannot tolerate baker's yeast. In this case, he becomes ill after eating bread, buns and other rich foods.
2. After the first injection, the patient’s temperature rises significantly, chills and severe weakness appear, and signs of a cold and intoxication may appear.
3. Antibodies are not administered for viral and bacterial infections, including colds. In this case, the disease may reduce the effectiveness of treatment or provoke unwanted side effects.
4. The vaccine is not administered for six months if the person being vaccinated has previously suffered from meningitis. In this case, you need to give the body time to recover so as not to provoke an allergic reaction.

The drug is never reintroduced after the patient has completed the full treatment regimen for 5 years. If you ignore this rule, you can significantly reduce immunity and cause multiple side effects, including the development of hepatitis B.