Is it safe to get vaccinated against hepatitis B?

Understanding the dangers of this liver disease

- DR. EDSEL MAURICE T. SALVANA

SAFETY FIRST Hepatitis B is one of the leading causes of liver cancer worldwide. (Image by Freepik)

(Freepik)

The recent controversial decision of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) in the US to halt universal newborn vaccination with the hepatitis B vaccine has thrust the disease into the public view anew.

The specific decision halts mandatory birth immunization of children born to women with a negative HBsAg (hepatitis B surface antigen) screening test and replaces it with shared decision making. In these infants, the first dose of the hepatitis B vaccine can be delayed to two months or older. Routine hepatitis B vaccination at birth will continue for infants born to hepatitis B-infected mothers and those with unknown status. Universal vaccination against hepatitis B at birth is very effective in interrupting infection of the baby and has reduced such infections by over 95 percent. Without vaccination, infants have an over 90 percent chance of contracting chronic hepatitis B from an infected mother.

Since HBsAg is not a perfect marker for hepatitis B infection, many medical societies in the US, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, the American College of Gastroenterology, and the Infectious Diseases Society of America, have voiced opposition to this new recommendation, and several states are moving to preserve access. HBsAg can be falsely negative in very early infection, in people with very low levels of the virus, and when there is a laboratory error. Exactly what is hepatitis B, and how does this decision affect us in the Philippines?