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Hepatitis B Rates Higher than Expected among Gay Men, Drug Users, Vaccinated Babies

altAn unexpectedly high proportion of gay/bisexual men and injection drug users develop chronic hepatitis B rather than clearing the infection, Amsterdam researchers reported in the September 2012 Journal of Hepatology. Other recent studies found that more than one-quarter of children born to mothers with hepatitis B showed evidence of "occult" HBV infection despite vaccination at birth, and that some individuals vaccinated as children may still show evidence of infection as adults.

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Lack of Sleep May Compromise Hepatitis B Vaccine Response

People who got less than 6 hours of sleep per night showed significantly reduced antibody responses after hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination, a finding that may shed light on the well-known association between poor sleep and increased susceptibility to infectious disease, researchers reported in the August 1, 2012, issue of Sleep.alt

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CDC Advisory Committee Recommends Hepatitis B Vaccine for People with Diabetes

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) last week recommended that adults up to age 60 with diabetes should be vaccinated against hepatitis B virus (HBV), as this group has a higher risk of infection compared with the general population.alt

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FDA Will Review New Dynavax Hepatitis B Virus Vaccine

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has indicated that it will review for approval a new hepatitis B vaccine known as Heplisav.alt

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ICAAC 2011: Double Dose of Hepislav Works as Well as 3 Doses of Standard HBV Vaccine

Two injections of Dynavax's investigational Heplisav hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccine protected adults over age 40 as well as the standard regimen consisting of 3 doses of the Engerix-B vaccine given over 6 months, researchers reported at the 51st Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC 2011) last month in Chicago.alt

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U.S. Agencies Recommend Blunt Suture Needles to Reduce Risk of Viral Hepatitis and HIV

In late May, U.S. agencies concerned with worker health and safety issued a joint advisory recommending that healthcare personnel should use blunt-tip suture needles as an alternative to standard suture needles for stitching muscle and connective tissue, in order to decrease the risk of needle-stick injuries that could transmit blood-borne diseases such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV.alt

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Additional HBV Vaccine Dose Offers More Protection for People with HIV

Two alternative dosing schedules of hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination led to higher levels of protection than the standard 3-dose schedule. alt

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