Hep B Facts

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HEPATITIS B DISEASE AND VACCINE FACTS

* People at high risk for getting hepatitis B disease (which is

transmitted by coming into direct contact with an infected person's

body fluids) are IV drug users, prostitutes, prisoners, sexually

promiscuous persons and babies born to infected mothers. (1)

* 90-95% of all hepatitis B cases recover completely after 3 to 4 weeks

of nausea, fatigue, headache, arthritis, jaundice and tender liver.

(2)

* Up to 17 percent of all hepatitis B vaccinations are followed by

reports of fatigue and weakness, headache, arthritis and fever of more

than 100 F.. (3) The vaccine can cause death, according to a 1994

Institute of Medicine report. (4)

* According to Merck and Company: " The duration of the protective effect

of [the vaccine] in healthy vacinees is unknown at present and the

need for booster doses is not yet defined. "

* In 1996, there were 10,637 cases of hepatitis B reported in the U.S.

and the CDC stated that " Hepatitis B continues to decline in most

states, primarily because of a decrease in the number of cases among

injecting drug users and, to a lesser extent, among both homosexual

and heterosexuals of both sexes. " (5)

* In 1996, 279 cases of hepatitis B disease were reported to have

occurred in the U.S. in children under 14 years old. (5)

* An historic report in 1994 published by the Institute of Medicine,

National Academy of Sciences, reviewed the medical literature for

evidence that vaccines, including hepatitis B vaccine, can cause a

variety of immune and neurological health problems. An independent

committee of physician experts concluded that there were no case

controlled observational studies or controlled clinical trials

conducted on hepatitis B vaccine either before or after licensure to

scientifically evaluate persistent reports that hepatitis B vaccine

can cause sudden infant death syndrome; Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS)

and other central demyelinating diseases including transverse

myelitis, optic neuritis, and multiple sclerosis; and immune system

dysfunction including chronic arthritis.

The IOM report concluded: " The lack of adequate data regarding many of the

adverse events under study was of major concern to the committee...the

committee encountered many gaps and limitations in knowledge bearing

directly or indirectly on the safety of vaccines. These include inadequate

understanding of the biologic mechanisms underlying adverse events

following natural infection or immunization, insufficient or inconsistent

information from case reports and case series, inadequate size or length of

follow-up of many population-based epidemiologic studies.... " (5)

* There are more than 200 vaccines being created by federal health

agencies and drug companies, including Hepatitis C, D and E; Herpes

simplex types 1 and 2; gonorrhea; rotavirus (diarrhea); Group A and B

streptococcus; meningitis A, B and C; and HIV for AIDS. (6)

(1) CDC Prevention Guidelines: A Guide to Action (1997); (2) on's

Principles of Internal Medicine (1994); (3) Merck & Co. Hepatitis B Vaccine

product insert (1993); (4) Adverse Events Associated with Childhood

Vaccines (1994; (5) Adverse Events Associated with Childhood Vaccines

(1994); (6) The Jordan Report (DHHS-1995).

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