A vaccine is effective for at least 25 years in adults and 14 years in children.
1 If an unvaccinated person is exposed to hepatitis A, he or she should be given the vaccine or immune globulin as soon as possible. 2  Vaccine is used for exposed persons aged one to 40 years. 3  Immune globulin currently is recommended for exposed persons over the age of 40 years.  Vaccination with the full, two-dose series of Hepatitis A vaccine is the best way to prevent HAV infection. Hepatitis A vaccine has been licensed in the United States for use in persons 12 months of age and older. Immune globulin is available for short-term protection (approximately 3 months) against Hepatitis A, both pre-and post-exposure. Immune globulin must be administered within 2 weeks after exposure for maximum protection. Hepatitis A vaccine is a vaccine against the hepatitis A virus. The first successful vaccine against it was invented by Maurice Hilleman at Merck. The vaccine protects against the virus in more than 95% of cases and provides protection from the virus for at least fifteen years. There are two types of vaccines: one type contains inactivated hepatitis A virus, the other contains a live but attenuated virus. 1 For healthy persons aged 12 months–40 years, single-antigen Hepatitis A vaccine at the age-appropriate dose is preferred to IG because of the vaccine’s advantages, including long-term protection and ease of administration, as well as the equivalent efficacy of vaccine to IG. Immune globulin is available for short-term protection (approximately 3 months) against Hepatitis A, both pre-and post-exposure. Immune globulin must be administered within 2 weeks after exposure for maximum protection. 1 Understand that hepatitis B vaccination-induced protective antibodies can last for up to 15 years, but appear to fall off over time. 2  Patients who were vaccinated 10 to 15 years ago, especially those who were vaccinated as children, may not be adequately protected. The authors concluded that hepatitis B vaccination protects strongly against infection for at least 15 years. One limitation of the study was that only slightly more than half of the original cohort had the 15-year follow-up testing. Immunity to the hepatitis B virus is thought to be lifelong. The hepatitis A vaccine is effective for at least 25 years in adults and 14 years in children. How It Works. Twinrix is a vaccine that provides active immunity against both the hepatitis A and hepatitis B viruses. It is given in a series of 3 injections on the same schedule as the hepatitis B vaccine: an initial dose followed by doses at 1 month and 6 months. Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver, most often caused by a viral infection. There are three common types of hepatitis caused by viruses: hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C. Vaccines have been developed that protect people from contracting hepatitis A and B. There is no vaccine for hepatitis C. Over the last 20 years, there has been a 90% decrease in cases of hepatitis A and an 80% decrease in hepatitis B cases in the U.S. Health experts believe that immunization efforts have led to this drop in rates of Hepatitis A vaccination is recommended for all children at age 1 year, for persons who are at increased risk for infection, for persons who are at increased risk for complications from Hepatitis A, and for any person wishing to obtain immunity. Immune globulin is available for short-term protection (approximately 3 months) against Hepatitis A, both pre-and post-exposure. Immune globulin must be administered within 2 weeks after exposure for maximum protection. Previously, Hepatitis A vaccination was recommended to be administered at least 2–4 weeks before departure to an area with intermediate or high rates of Hepatitis A. Travelers who were departing in less than 2 weeks were recommended to receive receive immune globulin (IG) for short-term protection. Immune globulin is available for short-term protection (approximately 3 months) against Hepatitis A, both pre-and post-exposure. Immune globulin must be administered within 2 weeks after exposure for maximu 1 Understand that hepatitis B vaccination-induced protective antibodies can last for up to 15 years, but appear to fall off over time. Anti-HBs levels decreased in the study population from a mean concentration of 822 mIU/mL after vaccination to 27 mIU/mL at 15 years. Higher levels of anti-HBs were noted in males, individuals with higher initial anti-HB levels, and those who were older at the time of vaccination.
http://www.medicinenet.com/hepatitis_immunizations/article.htm http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/HAV/HAVfaq.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hepatitis_A_vaccine http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/HAV/HAVfaq.htm http://www.adepalma.com/medpage/HowLongHepatitisBVaccineEffectiveCMETeachingBrief.htm http://www.healthlinkbc.ca/medications/content.asp?hwid=uf4851 http://www.webmd.com/vaccines/features/hepatitis-vaccines http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/HAV/HAVfaq.htm http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/HAV/HAVfaq.htm http://www.medpagetoday.com/Gastroenterology/Hepatitis/647
how long is a hepatitis a vaccination good for