Get the Hepatitis B vaccine at Medichem Pharmacy before you travel
It’s important to get the Hepatitis B vaccine at Medichem pharmacy before you travel. Hepatitis B is a
viral infection of the liver. It’s transmitted by directly coming in contact with the body fluids such as
the blood of an infected person. It affects people worldwide with the high rates in areas of
Sub-Saharan Africa and East Asia. High infection rates have also been noted in the southern parts
of Eastern and Central Europe, Amazon, the Indian subcontinent, and the Middle East. The
infection rates in Western Europe and North America are minimal.
The risk for travellers is minimal even though certain activities or behaviours expose individuals to the infection more. This is particularly when it occurs in regions where hepatitis B is frequently
reported.
These behaviours and activities are listed below:
- Unprotected sex
- Exposure to blood or blood products through occupation, like healthcare work
- Subjection to contaminated needles through injecting drugs or because of accessing medical or dental needles
- Participating in contact sports
- Adopting children from risk regions
- Long stay travel
Symptoms of Hepatitis B
In most cases of hepatitis B, symptoms do not show. They mostly appear in adults than children and
may include: abdominal pain, jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes), fever, and loss of appetite.
Hepatitis B infection that’s persistent develops in 80 to 90 percent of those infected in the first year of
life. Of this, only five percent are infected in adult years. Persistent infection can cause liver cancer
or liver failure.
How to prevent Hepatitis B
- Abstaining from unprotected sexual intercourse.
- Using recommended protective precautions if contact is unavoidable
- Avoiding piercing, acupuncture, and tattooing (unless sterile equipment is used)
- Not sharing injection equipment such as needles.
- Avoiding sharing shaving equipment
Anyone travelling can require emergency treatment or be at risk of an accident. You should always
be aware that using precautions will significantly help in protecting you against other blood and body
fluid-borne viruses. Other viruses include HIV and hepatitis C – which currently don’t have vaccines.
A sterile medical equipment kit may help when travelling to areas with poor resources.
Hepatitis B vaccine
We have many inactivated hepatitis B vaccines, among them combined hepatitis A/B products.
Travellers considered at risk are advised to take the vaccination. The initial hepatitis B vaccination
schedule involves three injections administered over various time scales depending on their urgency.
Public Health England advises that travellers who have completed hepatitis B vaccine courses do not require a single booster dose of vaccine at five years. This is unless they are considered to be at continuing risk of infection.
