The nurse / doctor that has been dealing with your treatment today has decided that you require a course of Hepatitis B vaccine (ENGERIX) to reduce the risk of you contracting viral hepatitis following the recent exposure that you have had. The first injection has been given to you today.
What is Hepatitis B?
Hepatitis B is an infection that affects the liver. It’s spread through blood, semen and vaginal fluids.
Hepatitis B can be very serious. It can make the liver suddenly stop working or cause gradual damage to the liver over time. It can also increase your chances of getting liver cancer.
Vaccination against hepatitis B helps reduce your chances of getting infected, vaccine you are being given is called ENERGIX.
ENGERIX contains a small amount of the ‘outer coating’ of the hepatitis B virus. This ‘outer coating’ is not infectious and cannot make you ill.
- When you are given the vaccine it will trigger the body’s immune system to prepare itself to protect against these viruses in the future
- ENGERIX will not protect you if you have already caught the hepatitis B virus
- ENGERIX can only help to protect you against infection with hepatitis B virus
You need to complete a course of four injections. The 2nd, 3rd and 4th injections should be given via your GP practice. The 2nd dose is due 1 month after the first dose that you have had today. The 3rd dose is given at 2 months from this 1st dose. The 4th dose is given at 10 months from this 1st dose.
How your vaccine is given :
The practitioner will give the recommended dose of ENGERIX to you.
ENGERIX B will be given:
- as an injection into the muscle of the upper arm in children and adolescents
- as an injection into the thigh muscle for babies and young children – 3 –
- as an injection under the skin if you bruise easily or have a bleeding problem
Possible side effects
Like all vaccines, this vaccine can cause side effects although not everybody gets them.
The following side effects may happen with this vaccine
Allergic reactions If you have an allergic reaction, see your doctor straight away. The signs may include:
- your face swelling
- low blood pressure
- difficulty breathing
- your skin going blue
- loss of consciousness
These signs usually start very soon after the injection has been given to you. See a doctor straight away if they happen after leaving the clinic.
Other side effects include
Very common (these may occur with more than 1 in 10 doses of the vaccine): headache, pain and redness at the injection site, feeling tired, irritability.
Common (these may occur with up to 1 in 10 doses of the vaccine): drowsiness, nausea (feeling sick) or vomiting (being sick), diarrhoea or abdominal pain, loss of appetite, a high temperature (fever), feeling generally unwell, swelling at the injection site, reactions at the injection site such as a hard lump.
Uncommon (these may occur with up to 1 in 100 doses of the vaccine): dizziness, muscle pain, flu like symptoms. Rare (these may occur with up to 1 in 1,000 doses of the vaccine): swollen glands, hives, rash and itchiness, joint pain, pins and needles
Following this you will need to discuss your on-going care with your General Practitioner or the Practice Nurse as you may require further blood tests to check that your antibody level is sufficient to prevent future infection.
Please book your follow-up appointments through your GP practice. We will be alerting them to this follow up need as part of the post attendance discharge letter generated today.