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Hepatitis B Vaccine Recommended For Diabetic Adults!!!

New guidelines from the ACIP (Advisory Committee on Immunization practices) recommends that all unvaccinated adults, aged 19 to 59, with type1 and type 2 diabetes receive the hepatitis B vaccine. The vaccination should be administered as soon as possible after adults within this age group have been diagnosed with diabetes.

Adults over 59, who haven’t been vaccinated, can receive the hepatitis B vaccination at their doctor’s discretion. The Dec 23rd issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, published by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) includes an outline of the recommendations. According to the report between 700,000 and 1.4 million people in the US are infected with the hepatitis B virus.

Symptoms include abdominal discomfort, nausea and vomiting. Chronic HBV infection damages the liver and can lead to serious illness and death. More than 15 percent of adults with chronic HBV infection develop cirrhosis and liver cancer.
People with diabetes are at an increased risk for HBV infection, which can occur through minute amounts of blood from an infected person who has shared a medical or glucose monitoring device.

The hepatitis B virus thrives outside the body and is easily transmitted. Transmission is possible if finger-stick devices or blood glucose monitors meant for one person are used by more than one person without appropriate cleaning or infection control measures.

The CDC issued in a recent news release that, “Initiatives are ongoing to improve infection control training of staff responsible for providing or assisting with diabetes care, and to improve the design and labeling of devices used in diabetes monitoring and treatment.”

Travelers should get the HBV vaccine if they’ll be engaged in sexual contact or daily physical contact with the local population or are likely to seek medical and dental treatment in local facilities.

Call Passport Health’s Southern Maryland Office To Get You And Your Family Vaccinated.

Call Us At 240.776.6034 To Schedule Your Appointment Today!