Hepatitis A - vaccine

• A
• B
• C
• D
• E
• F
• G
• H
• I
• J
• K
• L
• M
• N
• O
• P
• R
• S
• T
• U
• V
• W
• X
• Y
• Z

(Page 2)

Other people who are at higher risk for hepatitis A include:

• Illegal intravenous drug users.
• People who work with the hepatitis A virus in a laboratory or with primates that may be infected with the virus.
• People who have chronic liver disease.
• People who receive clotting factor concentrate to treat hemophilia or other clotting disorders.
• Military personnel.
• Homosexual or bisexual men.
• Employees of child day-care centers.
• People who care for institutionalized patients.

WHO SHOULD NOT BE IMMUNIZED

• People who have had hepatitis A in the past. Once you have recovered from the disease, you are immune for life.
• People who are allergic to the components of the vaccine.
• Children less than 2 years old.
• Pregnant or nursing mothers.
• If you are sick or have a fever, you should delay receiving the vaccine until you are feeling better.

RISKS

The possible complications are mild and rarely last longer than a day. The most common side effect of the vaccine is pain at the injection site. Other rare, but possible, side effects include:

• Redness, swelling, or bruising at the injection site
• Headache
• Fever
• Fatigue
• Muscle aches
• Nausea
• Loss of appetite

CALL YOUR PRIMARY HEALTH CARE PROVIDER IF:

• You develop rash, itching, hives, or difficulty breathing after the injection.
• You develop any other symptoms after hepatitis A immunization.
• You have other questions or concerns about hepatitis A immunization.

Review Date: 10/27/2005
Reviewed By: Daniel Levy, M.D., Ph.D., Infectious Diseases, Greater Baltimore Medical Center, Baltimore, MD. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.