The hepatitis B vaccine is made from the inactivated (dead) hepatitis B virus. After you get a hepatitis B vaccine, your body learns to attack the hepatitis B virus if you are exposed to it. This means you are very unlikely to get sick with hepatitis B.
Because no vaccine is 100% effective, it is still possible to get hepatitis B, even after you have been completely vaccinated.
The hepatitis B vaccine is given to children as a series of three injections (shots).The first shot is given to infants before leaving the hospital. If the baby's mother carries the hepatitis B virus, the baby receives the first vaccine shortly after birth. The second shot is given between 1 and 2 months of age. The third shot is given at 6 months of age.
Adults or children who have not already received the vaccine should get the vaccine series if they:
Adults can receive the hepatitis B vaccine only, or a vaccine that protects against both hepatitis A and B. Either series is given in 3 doses.
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