Published in:
01-12-2018 | Hepatitis B (J Lim, Section Editor)
New Advances in Hepatitis B Vaccination for Adults
Authors:
Qingyao Daniel Huang, Seng-Gee Lim
Published in:
Current Hepatology Reports
|
Issue 4/2018
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Abstract
Purpose of Review
The mainstay of elimination of hepatitis B virus is through primary prevention by vaccination recommended by the World Health Organization. This review seeks to update readers on the performance of the current second-generation vaccine and the challenges including primary and secondary vaccine failure, as well as compliance and coverage.
Recent Findings
Primary vaccine failure in children may be overcome by HBIG and antiviral therapy in high-risk pregnancies, while in adults, a number of strategies to address this include intradermal delivery, double-dose vaccination, improved adjuvants, and a third-generation vaccine with pre-S1 and pre-S2 proteins. However, there is still no accepted standard therapy for primary vaccine failure. Secondary vaccine failure is less problematic with 3.9% of vaccines developing anti-HBc antibody, but only one reported case of chronicity has developed after vaccination.
Summary
The current second-generation prophylactic hepatitis B vaccines have performed extremely well, but there remain some challenges with regard to vaccine failure. A number of different strategies have been used to overcome this. Overall vaccine failure constitutes a relatively small proportion of vaccinees.