Hepatitis A vaccine

Hepatitis A Vaccine, Avaxim, is a vaccine against the Hepatitis A virus. The vaccine protects against the virus in more than 95% of cases and provides protection from the virus for ten years. The vaccine contains inactivated Hepatitis A virus providing active immunity against a future infection.

According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention the following people should be vaccinated: all children over one year of age, people whose sexual activity puts them at risk, people with chronic liver disease, people who are being treated with clotting factor concentrates, people working within close proximity to the virus, and people who are living in communities where an outbreak is present. Hepatitis A is the most common vaccine-preventable virus acquired during travel, so people travelling to places where the virus is common like the Indian Subcontinent, Africa, Central America, South America, the far East, and Eastern Europe should also be vaccinated.

The vaccine should be given in the muscle of the upper arm and be given in two doses for the best protection. The initial dose of the vaccine should be followed up by a booster six to twelve months later. Protection against Hepatitis A occurs two to four weeks after the initial vaccination.