Stay Awesome
Hepatitis B
Find most of the information you need in these resources
Always refer to your local signed PGD's in practice, and remember the Green Book takes priority over the SPmC - and sometimes WHO takes priority over the Green Book! They don't always say the same!
Recent Updates & News
The UKHSA stockholding of Vaxelis has depleted. Infanrix hexa is now the only DTaP/IPV/Hib/HepB vaccine available to order by ImmForm.
17th Dec: Hexavalent combination vaccine: information for healthcare practitioners document was updated to include new training slides for download and updates to the main guidance document to reflect the introduction of MMRV to the routine schedule for children from 1 January 2026.
5th Dec: CDC panel recommends delaying birth dose of hepatitis B vaccine. The change is likely to increase the number of people who develop chronic infections and liver cancer
11th September 2025: Dropping hepatitis B shots for newborns would ignore history and endanger children, scientists warn. (Cases in kids and teens dropped 99% after the CDC recommended universal vaccination at birth).
13th June 2025: An update to the Hepatitis B: antenatal screening and selective neonatal immunisation pathway which is important guidance on the delivery of antenatal screening and selective neonatal immunisation services for pregnant women living with hepatitis B and their babies. The changes, as with everything lately, relate to the changes to the childhood immunisation schedule for children who turn 12 months old on or after 1 July 2025.
11th June 2025: Updates to Hepatitis B dried blood spot (DBS) testing for children page in line with the July 25 changes.
5th June 2025: Green Book chapter updated. PGD template updates also arrived for Hexavalent vaccine DTaP/IPV/Hib/HepB, and Hep B.
2nd June 2025: This guidance got an update: "Hexavalent DTaP/IPV/Hib/HepB combination vaccine: information for healthcare practitioners". As did this page (Hexavalent combination vaccine: programme guidance) in general. Another related document to get an update today is the Hepatitis B vaccine for at-risk infants aide memoire.
29th May 2025: More resources - an updated slideset for the hexavalent programme. Will help with understanding the upcoming changes in the programme from July 2025.
30th April: A BIG update came along today - the 'changes to the routine childhood schedule letter'. Big read with lots of changes to absorb. I won't repeat it all here but do have a good read.... some of this relates to hepatitis B on the childhood prog. (see UKHSA webinar link on news page in June and consider registering for more info). Expect Green Book updates, PGD changes and perhaps a small amount of chaos while we adapt to the changes. Keep calm and keep the kettle on....
11th March 2025: Green book chapter update for hepatitis B: Updates are that PreHevbri is no longer available in the UK, and to provide a clear description of the types of significant exposure.
NOV 2024 Prehevbri has sadly been discontinued as unable to find a manufacturer. I'm very sad about this - it was a great vaccine :-(
APRIL 2024 Green book chapter update - New booster recommendations. New vaccines, Hello and welcome Prehevbri and Heplisav!!
Other useful links and further reading
Bits and bobs to casually drop into conversation
Did you know....
According to the Hepatitis B Foundation:
Two billion people have been infected with the hepatitis B virus around the world (one out of three people)
Approximately 1.5 million people become newly infected each year.
Almost 300 million people are chronically infected.
Approximately 10% of infected individuals are diagnosed.
An estimated 820,000 people die each year from hepatitis B and related complications such as liver cancer.
Approximately two people die every minute from hepatitis B.
One for the OH teams! A Blog: Accelerated vs. Standard: Navigating Hepatitis B Schedules for OH Students
