When should my child get the hepatitis vaccine?

Hepatitis B can cause infection of the liver that can eventually lead to liver cancer and death. Unless you, your partner or any other caregiver is high risk, the vaccine doesn't need to be given at birth and can be delayed until two months; some argue that any time before age ten is also fine. The Hep B vaccine doubles as a hedge against liver cancer.

Your child should get the hepatitis B (HepB) vaccine for protection against the hepatitis B virus, a serious disease that affects the liver.

The timing of the HepB vaccination for children ages newborn to 6 years is:

• First dose at birth
• Second dose at 1 to 2 months
• Third dose at 6 to 18 months
• Fourth dose (given no earlier than 24 weeks) may be permissible if a combination vaccine containing HepB is administered after the birth dose

A catch-up series is given at 7 to 18 years of age.

Talk with your healthcare professional for further guidance.

Hepatitis A
Hepatitis A is not common in the U.S., but is very common in other parts of the world. The Centers for Disease Control have recommended this vaccine to all children age 1 and older since 2006 in part because of increased travel and immigration, but also in an attempt to eliminate indigenous hepatitis A from the U.S. If your school system does not require it, you do not live in a high-risk community, all who prepare food for your child wash well and you do not travel to countries with a high incidence, consider it optional.

Hepatitis B
If you, your partner, or a caregiver is a carrier of hepatitis B, you need to administer the first dose of the vaccine to your newborn at birth. Otherwise, I recommend waiting until 2 months of age. At this time, it can also be given as part of a combination vaccine.