Hepatitis B vaccination

Hepatitis B is an infectious disease that affects the liver. Caused by the hepatitis B virus, or HBV it produces an inflammation to the infected host’s liver. The illness is widely spread around the word, especially in Asia and Africa, and around 2 billion people in the world are infected with the virus.

Hepatitis B can be passed from person to person from bodily fluid exchange, like semen, vaginal fluids or, of course, blood. The disease cannot be caught through simple touch, saliva or coughing and sneezing, but some form of the HBV virus’s DNA can be found in saliva, tears and urine of the carrier. Hepatitis B can also be caught in a medical setting, from improperly sterilized utensils used in transfusions, acupuncture and even tattooing.

Prevention of hepatitis B is made by vaccination. The illness can cause severe problems to the liver, like cirrhosis or cancer that are the underlying causes for liver inflammation in the patient, as well as vomiting and jaundice. The anti-hepatitis vaccine contains a part of the original virus and is used in combination with other elements to create the perfect prevention method.

The vaccine contains an envelope of proteins that comes from the original virus. An antigen from the surface of the hepatitis B virus known by the name of HBsAg is inserted with genetic code. Yeast cells have an important role in the production of the element needed for the vaccine.

Hepatitis B prevention involves 3 vaccines. The second one is made one month after the first, while the third and final vaccination occurs six months after this. After the administration of the three vaccines the body establishes an antibody in the bloodstream that is able to fight off the hepatitis virus and make the immune system respond against an infection.