Hepatitis B vaccination for young people - American School Health Association recommendation based on number of cases each year - Brief Article

FDA Consumer, Jan-Feb, 1995

The American School Health Association (ASHA) recently recommended that young people be vaccinated against hepatitis B. The potentially deadly disease infects 300,000 Americans each year, primarily adolescents and young adults.

"It is not enough to vaccinate only those at high risk, since more than one-third of those infected report no known risk factors," said Rosemary K. Gerrans, R.N., M.P.H., president of ASHA.

The hepatitis B virus is spread through blood and other body fluids and is 100 times more contagious than HIV, which causes AIDS. Hepatitis B can cause flu-like illness, nausea, and vomiting, and can lead to cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer. Statistics from the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that 14 Americans die every day from hepatitis B-related liver disease, and 1.25 million Americans are chronic carriers of the virus.

The ASHA recommendations also urge school health professionals to start hepatitis B education programs for students and parents.