How often should children receive hepatitis A vaccine?

Hepatitis A vaccine for children is a relatively common vaccine. This vaccine is mainly given to prevent hepatitis A. We know that hepatitis A is very harmful and is an infectious disease that is prone to collective outbreaks, especially for children who are often in school. Therefore, timely injection is very necessary and can effectively prevent infection. When children receive hepatitis A vaccine, they should also understand some precautions.

How often should children receive hepatitis A vaccine?

Hepatitis A vaccine is an effective method to prevent hepatitis A. Hepatitis A vaccine is administered to susceptible people. Before the nationwide implementation of hepatitis A vaccination, the hepatitis A antibody level in the population was relatively low, especially in children. The examination found that the hepatitis A antibody positivity rate in children under 15 years old was between 10% and 30%, and in young and middle-aged people it was only about 70%. Therefore, there is a potential possibility of an outbreak of hepatitis A. Since 1995, my country has carried out hepatitis A vaccination for school-age children, which has significantly reduced the incidence of hepatitis A in children under 10 years old. Therefore, in addition to continuing immunization for children in younger age groups, it is necessary to carry out vaccination for key groups of young and middle-aged people.

There are currently two types of hepatitis A vaccines in use. One is a domestically produced live attenuated vaccine with a protection period of 3 to 5 years; the other is an inactivated dead vaccine with a protection period of more than 20 years. The choice is voluntary based on living conditions. The choice should be based on different hepatitis A symptoms. Hepatitis A vaccines mainly include two categories: inactivated hepatitis A vaccine and live attenuated vaccine. The live attenuated vaccine is further divided into ordinary live attenuated vaccine and freeze-dried live attenuated vaccine according to the different storage time and required conditions. Hepatitis A vaccines are basically available in both domestic and imported varieties, and there is no difference in terms of their effectiveness in preventing disease in the human body. Live attenuated hepatitis A vaccine only requires one injection. The inactivated hepatitis A vaccine needs to be administered twice, with an interval of six months between them. For people who need to be vaccinated against hepatitis A, choosing any one of them can protect them from the invasion of the hepatitis A virus.

Things to note when getting hepatitis A vaccine

1. People who are currently having a fever or have a persistent fever, or whose basal body temperature exceeds 37.5°C, are not suitable for hepatitis A vaccination. They should wait until their body temperature returns to normal before considering hepatitis A vaccination.

2. Patients with neurological diseases, severe rickets, severe malnutrition or congenital immunodeficiency should not be vaccinated with hepatitis A vaccine.

3. Patients currently suffering from asthma, serum sickness, and allergic urticaria should not be vaccinated with hepatitis A vaccine and should consider postponing vaccination or not getting vaccinated for the time being.

4. People who are known to be allergic to some drugs such as penicillin, sulfonamide, formalin, etc. should not be vaccinated with hepatitis A vaccine.

5. People with allergies should not receive the hepatitis A vaccine, especially those who are known to be allergic to one component of the hepatitis A vaccine or have had an allergic reaction to a previous vaccine.

6. Patients with persistent or severe diarrhea should not be vaccinated with hepatitis A vaccine for the time being and should consider delaying vaccination.

7. Those who are currently suffering from acute or chronic serious diseases (such as active hepatitis, active tuberculosis, kidney disease, serious heart disease, etc.) or those who have recovered less than two weeks ago should postpone vaccination or temporarily not receive the hepatitis A vaccine.