Of all the vaccines that Americans typically receive, most of them are well known, like varicella and HPV. One of the forgotten vaccines is the Hepatitis B vaccine, often commonly referred to as HepB. According to the
CDC’s vaccine schedule, this vaccine should be given first at four weeks. However, many antivaccine parents argue that children do not need a vaccine for a sexually transmitted disease so early in life. HepB is not exclusively spread by semen, but also blood, from open sores and sharing needles, etc. Infection with HepB can range from fairly insignificant to life-changing, resulting in a chronic disease or liver cancer. According to the
CDC, approximately 90% of infants infected with HepB will develop chronic HepB and up to 1.4 million Americans have chronic HepB. Because of the complications associated with chronic HepB, such as liver failure, damage, or cancer, 2,000 to 4,000 people die every year. I think that doctors should educate their patients more on the severity of this disease because I believe that many parents are not fully aware of the effects of HepB like they are with more common diseases. Don’t hesitate to vaccinate your child—it could save them later on!
Image from: The University of Maryland-- http://www.umm.edu/patiented/articles/hepatitis_b_000444.htm
