Candidates for Hepatitis A Vaccination
Routine vaccination
- Children living in areas with high incidence rates of hepatitis A (above the national average). Check with your health department to see if this applies to your area.
High-risk populations
- Travelers to developing countries with high rates of hepatitis A, including Mexico.
- Men who have sex with men.
- Users of illegal drugs.
- People who work with hepatitis A virus in research settings.
- People who work with infected nonhuman primates.
- Recipients of clotting factor concentrates.
- People with chronic liver disease (because of risk of fulminant hepatitis A).
Postexposure prophylaxis
Immune globulin is more than 85 percent effective in preventing hepatitis A virus infection when given within 2 weeks of exposure to the hepatitis A virus. The dose is 0.02 mL/kg injected into the gluteal muscle in adults or the anterolateral thigh muscle in children under 2 years. Concurrent hepatitis A vaccination may also be appropriate in people 2 years and older.
Candidates for Hepatitis B Vaccination
Routine vaccination
- All infants, children, and adolescents.
High-risk populations
- People with multiple sex partners and those who have been recently diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease.
- Sex partners and household contacts of HBV carriers.
- Men who have sex with men.
- Household contacts of adoptees from countries with high rates of hepatitis B.
- Injection drug users.
- Travelers to countries with high rates of hepatitis B (staying longer than 6 months).
- People with occupational exposure to blood.
- Clients and staff in institutions for the developmentally disabled.
- Patients with chronic kidney failure (including those on chronic hemodialysis).
- Patients receiving clotting factor concentrates.
- Inmates of long-term correctional facilities.
Postexposure prophylaxis
Prophylactic treatment for exposure to hepatitis B virus involves either hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIG), hepatitis B vaccine, or a combination of both. The HBIG dose equals 0.06 mL/kg. Efficacy ranges from 70 to 95 percent for different types of exposure.
Download a Fact Sheet (includes Doses & Schedules):
Vaccination for Hepatitis A and B
