Why hepatitis a vaccine

If you see signs of a severe allergic reaction hives, swelling of the face and throat, difficulty breathing, a fast heartbeat, dizziness, or weakness , call and get the person to the nearest hospital. Your health care provider will usually file this report, or you can do it yourself. Claims regarding alleged injury or death due to vaccination have a time limit for filing, which may be as short as two years.

Visit the VICP website external icon or call to learn about the program and about filing a claim. Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link. Section Navigation. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate. Hepatitis A VIS. Minus Related Pages. VIS in other languages external icon More information about hepatitis A vaccination. On This Page. Why get vaccinated? Hepatitis A vaccine Talk with your health care provider Risks of a vaccine reaction What if there is a serious problem?

Hepatitis A vaccine can prevent hepatitis A. Allergic reactions to the vaccine are rare. Your child may have fever , soreness, and some swelling and redness at the shot site. For pain and fever, check with your doctor to see if you can give either acetaminophen or ibuprofen , and to find out the right dose. Larger text size Large text size Regular text size.

What Is Hepatitis A? HepA Immunization Schedule The HepA vaccine is recommended for children 12 months and older, followed by a second dose at least 6 months later. Some people have temporary soreness, redness and hardening of the skin at the injection site after having the hepatitis A vaccine.

A small, painless lump may also form, but it usually disappears quickly and is not a cause for concern. Page last reviewed: 11 March Next review due: 11 March Who should have the hepatitis A vaccine People usually advised to have the hepatitis A vaccine include: close contacts of someone with hepatitis A people planning to travel to or live in parts of the world where hepatitis A is widespread , particularly if sanitation and food hygiene are expected to be poor people with any type of long-term liver disease men who have sex with other men people who inject illegal drugs people who may be exposed to hepatitis A through their job — this includes sewage workers, people who work for organisations where levels of personal hygiene may be poor, such as a homeless shelter, and people working with monkeys, apes and gorillas Contact your GP surgery if you think you should have the hepatitis A vaccine or you're not sure whether you need it.

The vaccine is also recommended for people who are at increased risk of getting hepatitis A infection, such as the following:. People whose job puts them at risk of exposure such as people who work with primates infected with hepatitis A virus or who work with the virus in a research laboratory. People who have a chronic liver disorder such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C, cirrhosis, fatty liver disease, alcohol-related liver disease, and autoimmune hepatitis or high levels of certain liver enzymes in their blood.

People who anticipate close contact with an adopted child during the first 60 days after the child arrives in the United States from an area where hepatitis A is common. Pregnant women who are at risk of getting hepatitis A infection during pregnancy such as women who are international travelers, who use illicit drugs [injected or not], who may be exposed at work, who anticipate close personal contact with an international adopted child, or who are homeless or who are at risk of getting very sick or dying of hepatitis A virus infection such as women who have chronic liver disease or HIV infection.

During a hepatitis A outbreak, people 1 year of age or older who are at risk of hepatitis A virus infection should be vaccinated. Sometimes the injection site is sore, red, and swollen. No serious side effects have been reported. The following are some English-language resources that may be useful. Merck and Co. From developing new therapies that treat and prevent disease to helping people in need, we are committed to improving health and well-being around the world.