Protecting your liver through hepatitis B vaccination

Most EU/EEA countries recommend vaccination against hepatitis B for all infants. It is also beneficial for individuals who may have missed being vaccinated as a child. Anyone can get infected, but those at higher risk include people who inject drugs, people in prison and those with chronic liver diseases, hepatitis C infection or waiting for a transplant, as well as travellers to countries were hepatitis B is present. Sexual activity is a key route of transmission for hepatitis B making those with multiple partners particularly vulnerable.

Effective vaccination strategies have led to a steady decline in hepatitis B transmission in the EU/EEA. However, declines in vaccination coverage in several countries underline the need for strengthened efforts to ensure optimal protection and low levels of transmission.

Did you know? Most of the people living with hepatitis B in the Europe are adults born before the hepatitis B vaccine became available in the 1980s.