Hep B Vaccine for Program.

[mingez]

Hello all!

I just got accepted to a program here in Denver, and I'm excited as all heck. I have some things that I have to get done (as everyone does) inorder to enter the program. One of them is to either get a Hep B Vaccination (3 doses worth) or to sign a waiver declining the vaccine knowing the risks of possibly contracting Hep B in clinical situations.

I'm sorry if this is a stupid question, but my initial assumption is that I should get the vaccine. But seeing that the program has a waiver, it got me thinking....

Is there something I'm not considering here? Why would anyone decline? Is there a high risk in getting the vaccines?

[cardiacRN2006, ADN, RN]

Provide examples, please.

Seriously? You need examples of how vaccines have reduced diseases in underdeveloped countries?

Look it up on your own. I hate pointing out the obvious to people

[wildmountainchild]

I had a patient with severe head trauma spit blood into my eye. He was Hep B positive (although no one knew that at the time).

I had already been vaccinated against Hep B, and a ton of other bugs due to travel overseas. The fact that I had been vaccinated gave me peace of mind while waiting for his test results to come back. I would go for it. If I hadn't had that vaccine I would very likely have Hep B today.

Motorcycle Momma,

You wanted expamples of vaccination having effect against disease. The big one that I can think of is smallpox. Effective vaccination has completely erradicated smallpox worldwide within a generation. To me that's proof!

And polio, vaccination against polio has largely eradicated polio in the modern world and in most developing countrings where vaccination is available. In current times we have the luxery of not remembering when disease was rampant. When everyone was terrified as neighbors and friends were coming down with polio. My own grandfather has polio, he remembers what it was like, but as a culture we have largely lost that knowledge.

I could probably look up other good expamples in my microbiology book but these were the best I could come up with off the top of my head.

[marilynmom, LPN, NP]

and even though studies have proved against it.

No studies have proven against it, they are still researching this and have recommended that mercury be removed from childhood vaccines because of concerns.

This is one issue (mercury;autism) where there is no proof from either side.

[mingez]

Thanks everyone for the insight. I shall indeed read up on the pros and cons of the shot.

Has anyone on here recieved the shot and suffered from adverse effects of any kind? Placebo or otherwise...

[ak127]

Sure, I've had bad reactions from vaccines. I get a fever and a sore arm every year when I get my flu shot. Here is the good news: many of the side effects are actually proof that you are making big immune responses. This is not a bad thing when you are TRYING to stimulate an immune response! That's what a vaccine does! Besides, I'd rather have a swollen arm than a destroyed liver.

You can't get much higher benefit and lower risk than a vaccine. The HepB vaccine is completely non-infectious. Its a recombinant protein, its not extracted from or manufactured from live virus at any point. It is very safe. I'm not big pharma, I don't work for your hospital's lawyer. Unless you have a medical condition that would make this vaccine patently dangerous for you, take the shot. Everytime. Not worth the risk or worry!

[azhiker96, BSN, RN]

Provide examples, please.

Checking the CDC,

Polio reached a peak in the United States

in 1952, with more than 21,000 paralytic cases. However,

following introduction of effective vaccines, polio incidence

declined rapidly. The last case of wild-virus polio acquired

in the United States was in 1979, and global polio eradica-

tion may be achieved within the next decade.

Although I think vaccinations are a valuable tool to promote community health, I do support people's right to refuse them just as they can refuse other medical treatments. Diabetics may refuse insulin and people who are septic may refuse antibiotics.

[indigo girl]

Thanks everyone for the insight. I shall indeed read up on the pros and cons of the shot.

Has anyone on here received the shot and suffered from adverse effects of any kind? Placebo or otherwise...

My med tech in Maine, is married to a police officer. He was required to have the Hep B vaccine for his job. First dose landed him in ICU in liver failure. No one in that family gets that vaccine anymore.

I do think some families have a genetic predisposition to adverse reactions.

Sorry all, but some people will have adverse reactions.

[marilynmom, LPN, NP]

I do support people's right to refuse them just as they can refuse other medical treatments. Diabetics may refuse insulin and people who are septic may refuse antibiotics.

You can't compare the two though. Diabetics and people who are septic are SICK who have a disease process who if they stop their medical treatment they have a very large chance of dying, people who are being vaccinated are *healthy*.

Now just speaking in general:

The fact is, according to the CDC, the Hepatitis B disease in 95% of adults completely rids itself within a couple weeks with at least 50% having no symptoms at all (of course about 50% will have some or all symptoms). I'm not saying, whoo hoo lets all contract HepB for fun--we all want to protect ourselves, but on this site even people (who are RNs or students) act like if you get HepB your basically going to die from it or become chronic, which is just not true for 95% of adults. That leaves 5% who do become chronic with 25% of those 5% going on to have liver problems (including the risk for liver cancer). This is for adults, not children oviously. Of course no one wants to be in the 5%.

The vaccine for adults is 90%-95% effective. Immunity lasting for about 15 years. Approx 5% are nonresponders to the vaccine; 5%-10% who are responders the vaccine is not effective.

I just don't like scare tactics (and that includes scare tactics some use about the vaccine). Give people the *facts* and let them decide for themselves the risks of the vaccine over the disease.

http://www.cdc.gov/nip/publications/pink/hepb.pdf

Here are some concerns about the vaccine:

http://www.909shot.com/Diseases/Hepatitis_B.htm

You can also search the medical journals for adverse effects with the vaccine--and they are certainly there (and I'm not talking about a sore arm).

I personally have not decided upon this vaccination for myself so I'm not trying to sway people in either direction. I think when you talking about vaccines, to research the disease first (CDC Pink Book is a good place to look IMO) and then the vaccine that way you can make the best educated decision for yourself, no one else can do that for you.

[ms mimi]

i think that part of the reason that the waiver is there has to do with the fact that it takes awhile to complete the Hep. B series. you take the first 2 shots close together but have to wait about 6 months for the final shot. when starting nursing school i had already had the first 2 shots but had to sign the waiver because i hadn't had the last one. now that i've had the last one i can sign the Hep. B form. i've had no adverse reaction to the shots. i would get them, who wants to get Hep. B and have time lost from school, work, family or whatever.