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Article: Hepatitis B Vaccine
- Article from:
- Encyclopedia of Public Health
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CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 The Gale Group Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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HEPATITIS B VACCINE
Hepatitis B vaccine is prepared in one of two ways: by concentrating and inactivating infectious particles in the circulating blood of persons who are hepatitis B carriers, or by using recombinant-DNA technology to artificially produce the antigen in yeast cells. In the United States, only the recombinant-DNA vaccine is currently available. In both processes, the result is a highly purified preparation that induces protection in 90 percent or more of persons who receive three injections, the second following the first by at least one month and the third at least two months after the second. Booster doses are not recommended. Since infection in the newborn period is ...