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Hepatitis B vaccine protects against the hepatitis B virus. The vaccine is approved by Health Canada.
Hepatitis B vaccine is provided free as part of your child’s routine immunizations. Call your local public health nurse or doctor to make an appointment.
The vaccine is given to babies as a series of three doses or shots. The first dose is given at 2 months of age, the second at 4 months, and the third at 6 months of age. The vaccine is given at the same time as other childhood immunizations.
| Hepatitis B Vaccine | Child's Age at Vaccination |
| 1st dose | 2 months |
| 2nd dose | 4 months |
| 3rd dose | 6 months |
A baby born to a mother with hepatitis B or a mother at high risk of the infection (intravenous drug use or sex trade work), or a baby who has another household contact or a caregiver with hepatitis B infection, should start the vaccine series at birth. These babies should be tested after the 3rd dose to make sure the vaccine has protected them.
It is important to keep a record of all immunizations received.
The hepatitis B vaccine is the best way to protect your child against hepatitis B and its complications, including permanent liver damage, which can lead to liver cancer and death. When you get your child vaccinated, you help protect others as well.
Vaccines are very safe. It is much safer to get the vaccine than to get hepatitis B.
Common reactions to the vaccine may include soreness, redness and swelling where the shot was given.
| Acetaminophen or Tylenol® can be given for fever or soreness. ASA or Aspirin® should NOT be given to anyone under 20 years of age due to the risk of Reye Syndrome. |
It is important to stay in the clinic for 15 minutes after getting any vaccine because there is an extremely rare possibility of a life-threatening allergic reaction called anaphylaxis. This may include hives, difficulty breathing, or swelling of the throat, tongue or lips. If this happens after you leave the clinic, call 911 or the local emergency number. This reaction can be treated, and occurs in less than one in a million people who get the vaccine.
Report serious or unexpected reactions to your public health nurse or doctor.
Speak with a public health nurse or doctor if your child has had a life-threatening reaction to a previous dose of hepatitis B vaccine, or any component of the vaccine including yeast, or to latex.
Hepatitis B is a virus that attacks the liver. It can cause serious disease including permanent liver damage (cirrhosis). Hepatitis B is also the main cause of liver cancer, which can be fatal.
Hepatitis B virus is spread from one infected person to another by contact with blood or body fluids. Mothers who are infected with hepatitis B virus can pass the virus to their newborn babies during delivery.
When young children get hepatitis B virus infection, they often do not have symptoms but most will stay infected for life. This is why protection with vaccine at a young age is important.
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