How Efficient Is Vaccination Against Hepatitis?

How Efficient Is Vaccination Against Hepatitis? Every hepatitis virus is life-threatening because it ultimately damages the liver and hinders its function. The best way to protect against hepatitis is a vaccination that has been proven to be effective. Hepatitis vaccines have caused significant reductions in morbidity and mortality rates in the United States (1). Let’s talk about vaccines against different types of hepatitis and how effective they are.

The HAV Vaccine:

Hepatitis A vaccine has been proven effective for children of all ages, adults, and older adults. The vaccine is administered in two shots with a dose gap of 6 months. The vaccine is effective for:

People with chronic liver disease
International travelers where there’s an increased hepatitis A incidence
Children and infants between the age of 12 to 23 months
People who use illegal drugs
Men who have sex with men

How Efficient Is HAV Vaccine? In the form of two doses, the HAV vaccine is effective in 95% of the cases because it is highly immunogenic. The vaccine is efficient in controlling hepatitis A outbreaks and protects after you’re exposed to the virus (2).

The HBV Vaccine:

The hepatitis B vaccine provides immunity to people for a lifetime. All people are recommended to get vaccinated ((and is even mandatory for some health-related professions in several countries) because every person is at risk of having hepatitis B. The vaccine should definitely be administered to:

Sexually active persons having multiple partners
All infants and all children
Injection drug users
People with HCV infection
Men who have sex with men (3)

How Efficient Is HBV Vaccine? The HBV vaccine is administered in two, three, or four doses to provide complete immunization. The hepatitis B vaccine protects against the development of further complications caused by the virus. It is 98-100% effective and completely safe (4).

The HCV Vaccine:

Every year, 2 million infections of hepatitis C are reported across the world. Unfortunately, there is no vaccine available for HCV. However, trials have been in progress for developing the HCV vaccine (5).

The HDV Vaccine:

Hepatitis D occurs when a person has an existing hepatitis B infection. Currently, no vaccine is available against the hepatitis D virus, but it has been reported that the HBV vaccine can protect against HDV. But if you already have hepatitis B, the vaccine will not protect you against hepatitis D (6).

The HEV Vaccine:

China has developed the HEV vaccine, but the vaccine has not been approved by the FDA within the United States (7). References:

Ogholikhan S, Schwarz KB. Hepatitis Vaccines. Vaccines. 2016 Mar 11;4(1):6.
Hepatitis A Vaccine – an overview | ScienceDirect Topics [Internet]. [cited 2021 Jul 23]. Available from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/hepatitis-a-vaccine
Hepatitis B Foundation: Hepatitis B Vaccination [Internet]. [cited 2021 Jul 23]. Available from: https://www.hepb.org/prevention-and-diagnosis/vaccination/
Shatat H, Kotkat A, Farghaly A, Omar S, Zayton S. A study of hepatitis B vaccine efficacy 10 years after compulsory vaccination in Egypt. J Egypt Public Health Assoc. 2005;80(5–6):495–508.
What is Viral Hepatitis? | CDC [Internet]. 2021 [cited 2021 Jul 23]. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/abc/index.htm
Mehta P, Reddivari AKR. Hepatitis. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2021 [cited 2021 Jul 23]. Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK554549/
Hepatitis E Questions and Answers for Health Professionals | CDC [Internet]. 2020 [cited 2021 Jul 23]. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/hev/hevfaq.htm