Hepatitis B vaccine schedule for children?
According to the immunization schedule for children aged 0-18, recommended by the Indonesian Pediatrician Association (IDAI) 2020, the first hepatitis B vaccine should be given to babies immediately after birth before 24 hours, preceded by an injection of vitamin K1 at least 30 minutes earlier. Infants with birth weight less than 2,000 g, hepatitis B immunization should be delayed until the age of 1 month or more, unless the mother is HBsAg positive (already infected with hepatitis B). Additionally, the Indonesian Pediatrician Association recommended Hepatitis B vaccine schedule is at 2, 3, and 4 months of age.
Hepatitis B vaccine for babies from mothers who are HBsAg positive (already infected with Hepatitis B)
According to the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia and the immunization schedule for children aged 0-18 recommended by the Indonesian Doctors Association, babies born to mothers with hepatitis B should immediately be given Hepatitis B Immunoglobulin (HBIg) plus the first hepatitis B vaccine after birth in less than 24 hours. Additionally, the Indonesian Pediatrician Association recommended Hepatitis B vaccine schedule is at 2, 3, and 4 months of age.
Number of doses and protection*
Protection resulting from the administration of Hepatitis B vaccine is defined as an anti-HBs antibody titer of 10 mIU/mL or higher depending on the number of doses administered. WHO recommends in the guidelines for prevention of mother to child transmission of HBV published in July 2020 to give a total of 3-4 doses. According to research conducted by Margolis et al.:
- 1 dose of Hepatitis B vaccine can provide 16-40% protection.
- 2 doses of Hepatitis B vaccine can provide 80-95% protection.
- 3 doses of Hepatitis B vaccine can provide 98-100% protection.
