If a baby gets hepatitis B, it can lead to a bad infection of the liver. It also increases their risk of having liver failure or getting liver cancer later in life. Hepatitis B lives in the community so even if parents don’t have it, infants can still get it.
Luckily, hepatitis B vaccination gives infants the instructions their immune system needs to fight off this virus. Giving the vaccine within the first day of life starts baby on a path to lifelong protection. This shot is the first of 3 to help prevent getting sick or having liver problems from hepatitis B.
There is so much more to talk about with vaccines, so ask questions of the health care professionals who are taking care of you, your baby and your family. They would be happy to listen to your questions and discuss more about why we give this vaccine so early in a baby’s life.
For more information on the hepatitis B vaccine, please visit HealthyChildren.org sponsored by the American Academy of Pediatrics.