Vaccinations

Who can get the vaccine?

The Australian Immunisation Handbook (ATAGI 2021) recommends who should get the hepatitis B vaccine:

• Babies

• Children and teenagers who have not had the vaccine before

• People who are immunocompromised, including:

• people living with HIV

• dialysis patients and people with very poor kidney function

• people about to get an organ transplant

• people who have had a stem cell transplant.

• People with other medical conditions, including:

• people with chronic liver disease or hepatitis C

• people who use certain blood products

• people with developmental disabilities who attend day-care facilities.

• People travelling to countries with higher levels of hepatitis B. 

The handbook says that if you fit into one of the groups below, you should get tested to check whether you might already have hepatitis B or have had it in the past. If you haven't had hepatitis B then it is recommended that you get the vaccine.

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

• People coming from countries with higher levels of hepatitis B

• People who are more likely to get hepatitis B because of their job, eg:

• people who work in any job that involves direct patient care, handling human tissue, blood or bodily fluids, or used needles and syringes

• healthcare workers

• police, members of the armed forces, emergency services staff, and correctional facility staff

• funeral workers, embalmers

• staff involved in the care of people with developmental disabilities

• workers who carry out procedures that penetrate the skin, such as tattooists and body piercers

• Sex industry workers.

• Other groups:

• household or other close contacts of people with hepatitis B

• people who have had sex with people with hepatitis B

• men who have sex with men

• people who use drugs using needles

• inmates of correctional facilities.