hepatitis b

[cain]

can you catch it even if you are vaccinated?

 

[mwmorph]

no. my dad's had it since birth and i havent got it yet in 20 some odd years.

 

[jagec]

...

 

[NutBucket]

Uhm....I suppose there's always a chance but having said that what's the point of a vaccine otherwise?

 

[cain]

Originally posted by: mwmorph
no. my dad's had it since birth and i havent got it yet in 20 some odd years.

what do you mean, you got vaccinated and never got it? or your dad didn't.
there are more than one way to catch it you know. unclean dishes in restaurant, sex, and many other ways that involve fluid swapping

 

[Schadenfroh]

Go to your local doctor, he can take a blood sample to see if your blood has turned and if you are immune. Luckily after my vaccinations, i went about 6 months after the last shot to the doctor, they drew blood and said im immune. I dont think you can get it if they tell you you are immune after they run the blood check, but why risk it?

 

[sandmanwake]

Is this one of those things you can fight off? If not, it would kind of suck to catch it eating out becuase some place didn't wash their green onions well or something.

 

[mwmorph]

my father was born with hepatitis B. i was vaccinated within 1 month of birth. I dont have hepatitis B and i probably never will even though we have been through 18 full years+ 8 years worth of weekends years of dinners.

edit: also, my sisiter(15) and mother who has been married to him for 28 years are all hepatitis b free.

 

[Heisenberg]

There's always a small chance you can catch it even if you are vaccinated. In the grand scheme of things though I'd be more worried about getting hit by a bus than I would be about the vaccine not being effective.

 

[cain]

isn't the immunization life lasting?

 

[Mark R]

The Hep B vaccine is generally very effective, but not everyone responds to it.

People in high risk occupations like health-care workers need to have a blood test after vaccination to see if it worked. Generally, an employer will inisit on seeing a certified postitive blood test result before they will offer a job.
If you have got satisfactory immunity to Hep B proven on blood test, then you are at an exceedingly low risk of contracting the disease.

Is this one of those things you can fight off? If not, it would kind of suck to catch it eating out becuase some place didn't wash their green onions well or something.

Hep B is mostly a disease that your body fights off in a few weeks-months (but it can make you pretty ill during that time). However, in about 1 in 10 people, it never gets fought off, and the virus persists, which can eventually cause cirrhosis of the liver and/or liver cancer. In the last few years, some partially effective treatments for persistant hep b have become available - but they are incredibly expensive, have lots of side effects and aren't always a cure - they just slow down the disease.

While Hep B is highly infectious (about 100x as infectious as HIV) it is generally only transmitted through blood (including childbirth, tatooing with unclean needles, drug abuse, etc.) or sexual contact. It is NOT passed on through food or water, on utensils, through the air, or through normal social contact.

isn't the immunization life lasting?

Generally, yes. Booster doses of vaccine are not recommended for people who have had the full course.
However, people at very high risk of catching the disease should have a blood test to confirm that they have got immunity.