The new hepatitis B vaccine

Preview

Every year in this country, 200,000 people are infected with hepatitis B virus and one fourth of them become ill with jaundice. Even those who have no symptoms are at risk of chronic hepatitis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Thus, a vaccine against this virus, introduced recently, was greeted with enthusiasm. In this article, Dr Kutcher answers questions likely to be posed by physicians who are eager to try the new vaccine: How is it given? Who should receive it? Is screening necessary? What are the side effects?