First, some things worth knowing about hepatitis B
Approximately 350 million people worldwide suffer from chronic hepatitis B infection, 75% of them in the Asia-Pacific region. Unlike hepatitis A, hepatitis B can become chronic and lead to severe liver damage, including cirrhosis with liver failure.
0.5 – 1 million people worldwide die each year from hepatitis B complications. 80% of all liver cancers are due to hepatitis B infection. The WHO has identified hepatitis B as one of the top four global infectious diseases, along with malaria, HIV and tuberculosis.
In Germany, the number of chronically hepatitis B-infected people is estimated at about 500 thousand. Of these, about 100 – 150 thousand are diagnosed, about 15% are treated antivirally. A large number of hepatitis B sufferers do not know when and where the infection was acquired!
Newborns in Germany have been vaccinated against hepatitis B since 1995.
The vaccination coverage rate is approximately 95%. The costs for the vaccination are reimbursed by the statutory health insurance funds until the age of 18; after that, the vaccination must mostly be paid for by the patient.
Although enormous progress has been made in the treatment of hepatitis B in recent years, the best protection against this disease is the well-tolerated vaccination.
When should travelers get vaccinated against hepatitis B?
While the crucial question for hepatitis A vaccination is “Where do you go?”, for hepatitis B it is “What do you do?”!
Transmission of the hepatitis B virus occurs through blood transfusions, contact with infected blood (e.g., through an open wound while caring for an injured person), medical care (syringes, infusions) in foreign countries with low hygienic standards, and through unprotected sexual intercourse.
Not all of these situations can be consciously avoided – especially on long trips. Therefore, one advises the vaccination in case of appropriate risk.
Vaccination is given twice at four-week intervals before travel (possibly in combination with hepatitis A) and a third time approx. 9 – 12 months after the first vaccination.
After that, there is usually a reliable protection against hepatitis B (with combination vaccination also against hepatitis A) for about 10 years.
The vaccination is usually well tolerated; occasionally there is pain at the injection site, which passes after a few days. Rarely, there is nausea or a transient, small increase in liver enzymes.