{"id":15016,"date":"2025-09-18T17:49:50","date_gmt":"2025-09-18T22:49:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/?post_type=jtf_topics&p=15016"},"modified":"2025-09-27T17:55:00","modified_gmt":"2025-09-27T22:55:00","slug":"why-a-hep-b-birth-dose","status":"publish","type":"jtf_topics","link":"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/es\/jtf_topics\/why-a-hep-b-birth-dose\/","title":{"rendered":"Why a Hep B birth dose?"},"content":{"rendered":"
[vc_row source=”” text=”Clinical Trials” font_container=”tag:h2|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” google_fonts=”font_family:Abril%20Fatface%3Aregular|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal” link=”” css=”.vc_custom_1708910874436{border-top-width: 1px !important;border-right-width: 1px !important;border-bottom-width: 1px !important;border-left-width: 1px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_custom_heading text=”The Claim:” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text css=””]With\u00a0ACIP<\/a>\u00a0expected to recommend getting rid of the Hepatitis B vaccine at birth and delaying it to age 4, we want to talk about why the vaccine is given at birth.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_custom_heading text=”The Facts:” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text css=””]\n

Hepatitis B (Hep B) can spread through sex, but that\u2019s not the only way it spreads. Doctors recommend giving babies the Hep B vaccine at birth because many babies were being born to mothers who didn\u2019t know they had the infection. Scientists believe that about\u00a030\u201340% of people<\/a>\u00a0with long-lasting (chronic) Hep B got it either when they were born or when they were very young. Only about half of mothers with Hep B are found before they give birth.<\/p>\n

Even today, around\u00a025,000<\/a>\u00a0babies in the U.S. are born each year to moms with Hep B. If a newborn catches it, about\u00a090% of them will stay infected<\/a>\u00a0for life. This raises their chances of\u00a0liver disease and liver cancer<\/a>\u00a0later on.<\/p>\n

There are many reasons why mothers don\u2019t know they have Hep B. The test for Hep B\u00a0is harder<\/a>\u00a0to understand\u00a0than some other tests. A mom might get infected after her first test during pregnancy, but before giving birth. Tests can also be wrong sometimes, showing a false \u201cnegative.\u201d Mistakes can happen too\u2014like ordering the wrong test, reading the results wrong, or not sharing the results clearly.<\/p>\n

Hepatitis B can also live outside the body for up to\u00a07 days<\/a>, even in dried blood. That means it can spread in other ways, too, like through bites in daycare, dirty needles, or bandages left in public places. This doesn\u2019t happen often, but it\u2019s still possible.<\/p>\n

The Hep B vaccine is\u00a0very safe<\/a>. The most common side effects are just soreness or pain where the shot was given. Serious side effects are extremely rare\u2014so rare that none have been proven after millions of doses. Because the vaccine is safe, and babies can get Hep B at birth or soon after, doctors give the first dose right when a baby is born.<\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hepatitis B can pass from mom to baby at birth\u2014even when moms don\u2019t know they\u2019re infected. That\u2019s why the Hep B vaccine is safely given in the first hours of life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"parent":0,"template":"","jtf_topic_subjects":[195,202,199,211,218],"class_list":["post-15016","jtf_topics","type-jtf_topics","status-publish","hentry","jtf_topic_subjects-autism","jtf_topic_subjects-cancer","jtf_topic_subjects-childhood-vaccines","jtf_topic_subjects-hepatitis-b","jtf_topic_subjects-vaccine-safety","entry","no-media"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/jtf_topics\/15016","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/jtf_topics"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/jtf_topics"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/jtf_topics\/15016\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15026,"href":"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/jtf_topics\/15016\/revisions\/15026"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15016"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"jtf_topic_subjects","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/jtf_topic_subjects?post=15016"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}