CDC Guidelines for "catch up" Hep B vaccines

[Hematocrit13]

Hi everyone,

The CDC guidelines for "catch up hepatitis b vaccines" state:

Give dose #2 at least 4 wks after #1; then, give dose #3 at least 8 wks after dose #2 and at least 16 wks after dose #1.

Under what circumstance would you not be giving the 3rd hep b dose 16 weeks after the first? Why even write that? I guess what I am trying to suggest is that it would be helpful for the CDC to give a sample scenario because I am having a hard time applying their schedule, especially when they also say you do not need to re-start the series!

Playing catch-up: Let's say I got Dose 1 March 21. Today is May 21, so technically I am one month overdue since according to the 'normal' hep b schedule (0, 1, 6 months), I should have gotten dose 2 on April 21 (April 18 to be precise). So let's say I get dose 2 today, May 21. Does that mean instead of waiting until September for dose 3, which I would have had to do had I been on time, I can now get dose 3 on July 21 because that is 16 weeks after dose 1?

If so, then playing catch up is the way to go if you want to compress your hep B shots into a tighter time frame!

(I really wanted to start a new topic, that's what I hope I'm doing - it's not easy to figure out how to do this; every time I have to google "how to start a new topic on allnurses.") Apologies if posting in the wrong place.)

H13

[ImLovingIt]

See page 20 of https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/rr/rr5516.pdf#page18

Basically, recommended is 0, 1, 6 but the minimum is 1-2: 4 weeks, 2-3: 8 weeks, and 1-3: 16 weeks. I read it to say that as long as the minimum wait times are achieved, all is good.

[klone, MSN, RN]

Because if you did all three at the very minimum (giving 1, then giving 2 4 weeks later, then giving 3 8 weeks later), you could possibly be giving all thee within 12 weeks instead of the minimum 16. The Gardasil (HPV) vaccine is similar to that as well.