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Hep B vaccine for at risk infants

Checked: 29-04-2025 by Jenny Henry Next Review: 29-04-2026

Overview

Any baby born to a mother who had hepatitis B infection during their pregnancy will have been exposed to the infection and should follow a post exposure pathway (the selective hepatitis B immunisation pathway) which includes 6 hepatitis B-containing vaccines.  Hepatitis B vaccine should be prioritised for these infants as it can prevent infection in over 90% of babies if given on time. Timely vaccination is critical to preventing chronic infection in infants.

The UK is a very low prevalence country for hepatitis B infection, so to help support you as providers and clarify what steps to consider for any infants identified the UKHSA has produced the following guidance and advice for GPs and practice nurses - Hepatitis B vaccine for at-risk infants aide memoire - GOV.UK



Efforts are made to ensure the accuracy and agreement of these guidelines, including any content uploaded, referred to or linked to from the system. However, BNSSG ICB cannot guarantee this. This guidance does not override the individual responsibility of healthcare professionals to make decisions appropriate to the circumstances of the individual patient, in consultation with the patient and/or guardian or carer, in accordance with the mental capacity act, and informed by the summary of product characteristics of any drugs they are considering. Practitioners are required to perform their duties in accordance with the law and their regulators and nothing in this guidance should be interpreted in a way that would be inconsistent with compliance with those duties.

Information provided through Remedy is continually updated so please be aware any printed copies may quickly become out of date.