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Immunizations - travel vaccinations - Management
When is hepatitis B vaccine indicated?
- Hepatitis B vaccine is indicated for:
- Travellers to areas of high or intermediate prevalence who place themselves at risk when abroad. Behaviours that place them at risk include unsafe sexual activity, injecting drug use, undertaking relief aid work, and participating in contact sports.
- Travellers who plan to remain in areas of high or intermediate prevalence for lengthy periods.
- Children and others who may require medical care while travelling to visit families or relatives in high- or moderate-endemicity countries.
- Individuals who are travelling to visit friends or relatives with chronic hepatitis B infection.
- Families adopting children from countries with a high or intermediate prevalence of hepatitis B.
- People with chronic medical conditions who may require hospitalization while overseas.
- Those travelling for medical care.
- For other specific indications for hepatitis B vaccine see the Department of Health website; www.dh.gov.uk (pdf).
Basis for recommendation
- These recommendations are based on expert advice from the Department of Health [DH, 2006c].
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