The hepatitis B vaccination is available on the NHS for anyone who is at increased risk of hepatitis B or its complications.
Who should be vaccinated against hepatitis B?
You can get infected with hepatitis B if you have contact with an infected person's blood or other body fluids. People at risk of hepatitis B and who should therefore consider vaccination are:
- people who inject drugs or have a partner who injects drugs
- people who change their sexual partners frequently
- men who have sex with men
- babies born to infected mothers
- close family and friends of someone with hepatitis B
- anyone who receives regular blood transfusions or blood products
- people with any form of liver disease
- people with chronic kidney disease
- people travelling to high-risk countries
- prostitutes
- people who work somewhere that places them at risk of contact with blood or body fluids, such as nurses, prison wardens, doctors, dentists and laboratory staff
- prisoners
- families adopting children from high-risk countries
How to get vaccinated against hepatitis B
Ask your GP to vaccinate you, or visit any sexual health or GUM (genitourinary medicine) clinic for the hepatitis B vaccination.
Find a local genitourinary medicine clinic.
There are some circumstances when you may need to postpone or avoid having the hepatitis B vaccine. Check with your GP before having a hepatitis B vaccination if:
- you are pregnant
- you are breastfeeding
- you have an immune deficiency
- you have any allergies
What does hepatitis B immunisation involve?
For full protection, you will need three injections of hepatitis B vaccine over four to six months.
You will have a blood test taken one month after the third dose to check the vaccinations have worked.
You should then be immune (resistant to the virus) for at least five years. You can have a booster injection five years after the initial injection.
Hepatitis B vaccine on the NHS
GP surgeries and sexual health or GUM clinics usually provide the hepatitis B vaccination free of charge if you are in an at risk group.
GPs are not obliged to provide the hepatitis jab on the NHS if you're not thought to be at extra risk.
GPs may charge for the vaccine if you want it as a travel vaccine, or they may refer you to a travel clinic so you can get vaccinated privately. The current cost of the vaccine (in 2013) is around £30 a dose.
How safe is the hepatitis B vaccine?
The hepatitis B vaccine is very safe and other than some redness and soreness at the site of the injection, side effects from it are rare.
Read more about vaccine safety and side effects.
Emergency hepatitis B vaccination
If you've been exposed to the hepatitis B virus and have not been vaccinated before, you should immediately have the hepatitis B vaccine plus an injection of antibodies called specific hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG). This is because the vaccine doesn't work straight away. The immunoglobulin works immediately, albeit temporarily, so you're protected until the vaccine starts to work.
Immunoglobulin should ideally be given within 48 hours, but you can still have the jab up to a week after exposure.
Babies and hepatitis B vaccination
Babies born to mothers infected with hepatitis B can be given a dose of the hepatitis B vaccine after they are born. This is followed by another two doses (with a month in between each) and a booster dose 12 months later.
Some babies also have an injection of immunoglobulin after they are born to help prevent infection.
Read the answers to 10 common questions that parents have about baby vaccinations.
