Yes to Hep A and B vacine

Regarding the post on should we get Hep A and B vaccined, my husband emailed my Dr about questions that I would be asking tomorrow at my apt. He advised me to get my primary to vaccinate me against Hepatitis A and B.

[dianekjs]

The best decision will be different for each of us - there's disagreement among doctors on this and the individual situation makes a difference. For me it should have been a no, and my very esteemed neurologist/MS specialist and I both wish that another doctor hadn't pushed me to get the vaccine a few years ago (pre-MS). I have lots of autoimmune issues and had a bad reaction to the HepA/HepB vaccine and the third of the series wasn't given as a result. There is some suspicion that the vaccine may have helped to trigger my MS, but this is impossible to determine definitively. If you are in an at-risk population the benefits likely outweigh potential risks. If you are not, that becomes less clear. I was and am not, and wish I had not agreed to being vaccinated. That said, the majority of people seem to do fine.

[Hidden in reply to dianekjs]

I always get concerned with vaccines. My friends baby died years ago because of whooping cough vaccine. I gave my teen the hpv vaccine and I wish that I didn't. I'm concerned for food issues

[dianekjs in reply to Hidden]

I should clarify that I am not in any way anti-vaccine in general, vaccines have saved countless lives. However, I think some vaccines carry more risks than others, some individuals are more at risk for adverse reactions, and I worry about the consequences of indiscriminately over-vaccinating. If you're not in an at-risk population for contracting Hepatitis, you have any personal or family history of vaccine reactions, or you are concerned about complications due to autoimmunity, declining the vaccine is reasonable. If you're at an elevated risk of exposure and have no obvious contraindications, by all means consider the vaccine.

[Hidden in reply to dianekjs]

I don't believe that I'm at risk for Hep B but Hep A is from food I believe. I'm not against vaccines either.

[dianekjs in reply to Hidden]

The Hep A vaccine hasn't been associated with as many potential issues as the Hep B vaccine, but they're usually combined now. Hep A is caused by contaminated food or water or contact with an infected person and is generally most associated with an environment of poor sanitation and hygiene. This may be a consideration with some less developed travel destinations. Hep A is quite rare and almost always fully resolves on its own.