Hepatitis B

Hepatitis B is a highly infectious viral infection spread by contaminated blood and bodily fluids. The virus specifically attacks the liver which can result in liver disease and liver cancer for those with chronic infection. Hepatitis B is 100 times more infectious than HIV and more than a third of the world’s population has been infected with hepatitis B and around 350 million people worldwide are chronic carriers of the virus. Thankfully a hepatitis B vaccine is available and can be given from birth.

Travellers planning on travelling to any high risk hepatitis B countries should consider having the vaccine. High risk areas include central, western and southern Africa and south-east Asia.

Who should be vaccinated against Hepatitis B?

Vaccination against hepatitis B is advised for:

• Those who are at occupational risk (such as health care workers, aid workers where their job puts them at risk of injury)
• Travellers who visit high-risk areas, those who travel frequently or for longer periods
• Travellers who have pre-existing conditions
• Travellers who carry out activities associated with risk (adventure sports, body piercing, tattoos)
• Those who participate in lifestyle behaviours that may increase the risk (such as, unprotected sex and injecting drug use)