Hepatitis B

Signs & symptoms of hepatitis B

Not everyone gets hepatitis B symptoms. Most people either have no symptoms or mild symptoms. The infection usually lasts for one to three months. If it lasts longer than six months, this is called chronic hepatitis B.

Symptoms of hepatitis B include:
• Having a high temperature

• Feeling tired

• Having pain in your upper tummy

• Nausea

• Being sick

• Itchy skin (in some cases they may be raised. They’re called hives)

• Yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice)

What the hepatitis B vaccine is for

Hepatitis B is an infection that affects the liver. It’s spread through blood, semen and vaginal fluids.

Hepatitis B can be very serious. It can make the liver suddenly stop working or cause gradual damage to the liver over time. It can also increase your chances of getting liver cancer.

Vaccination against hepatitis B helps reduce your chances of getting infected.

How the hepatitis B vaccine is given

The hepatitis B vaccine is given as an injection into the upper arm or thigh.

You need at least 3 doses of the vaccine to give you the best protection from hepatitis B.

There’s usually a month gap between each dose, but sometimes 3 doses can be given within 21 days (with a 4th dose at 12 months) if you need faster protection.

Some people (such as babies exposed to hepatitis B before birth) need more than 3 doses to get the best protection.

Booster doses

You usually only need booster doses of a hepatitis B vaccine if:

• you’re a healthcare worker and blood tests show that 3 doses of the vaccine have not given you enough protection from hepatitis B
• you have kidney failure – you may need more doses if a blood test shows your protection has reduced
• you’re exposed to hepatitis B (for example, you’re bitten by someone or injured by a used needle)

Having the hepatitis B vaccine at the same time as other vaccines

You can have the hepatitis B vaccine at the same time as other vaccines, including the rotavirus vaccine and MMR vaccine.

Side effects of the hepatitis B vaccine

Most of the side effects of the hepatitis B vaccine are mild and do not last long.

They can include:

• swelling or pain where the injection was given
• feeling tired, sleepy or irritable
• a headache
• feeling or being sick
• diarrhoea
• a stomach ache
• a high temperature

More serious side effects such as a severe allergic reaction are very rare. The person who vaccinates you will be trained to deal with allergic reactions and treat them immediately.

The hepatitis B vaccines used in the UK contain a killed (destroyed) version of the hepatitis B virus, so there’s no risk of getting the infection from the vaccine.