What do I need to understand about prevention of and vaccination for hepatitis B?

Hepatitis B vaccination is recommended for the following groups of people.

• Infants – as part of the National Immunisation Program
• Aboriginal people
• People who are immunocompromised, including those:
  
  • with HIV
  • with severely impaired renal function
  • on dialysis
  • before solid organ transplant
  • after haematopoietic stem cell transplant
• People with medical risk factors, including:
  
  • people with hepatitis C
  • people with chronic liver disease
  • preterm and low-birthweight infants (need an additional booster at 12 months)
  • people who receive blood products
  • people with developmental disabilities
• People whose occupation increases their risk of acquiring hepatitis B, including:
  
  • healthcare workers
  • police, members of the armed forces, people working in emergency services and correctional facilities
  • people who work at facilities caring for people with developmental disabilities
  • funeral workers and embalmers
  • tattooists and body-piercers
• Travellers to hepatitis-B-endemic areas who may be at increased risk (most of East and Southeast Asia (except Japan), Pacific Island countries, parts of central Asia and the Middle East, the Amazon Basin, sub-Saharan Africa)
• People whose circumstances increase their risk of acquiring hepatitis B, including:
  
  • infants born to mothers who are HBsAg positive
  • household or other close contacts of people with hepatitis B
  • sexual contacts of people with hepatitis B
  • men who have sex with men
  • migrants from hepatitis-B-endemic countries (most of East and Southeast Asia (except Japan), Pacific Island countries, parts of central Asia and the Middle East, the Amazon Basin, sub-Saharan Africa)
  • people who inject drugs
  • inmates of correctional facilities
  • sex industry workers