The old pertussis vaccine had far more risks than the hepatitis B vaccine. In fact, a milliliter of blood (about one-fifth of a teaspoon) from someone who is infected can contain as many as 1 billion infectious viruses.īecause the benefits of the hepatitis B vaccine clearly and definitively outweigh its risks, the hepatitis B vaccine is safe. This means that someone can be infected through relatively casual contact with someone who is infected, such as sharing washcloths or toothbrushes. Worse yet, many people don't realize that you can catch hepatitis B virus after coming into contact with very small quantities of blood - small enough that they are not visible to the naked eye. So it can be hard to tell from whom you could catch hepatitis B virus. As a result, many people who are infected with hepatitis B virus don't know that they have it. Some children caught it from another family member, and some children caught it from someone outside the home who came into contact with the baby.Īlthough about 1 to 2 million people in the United States are infected with hepatitis B virus, many of these are “silent infections,” meaning without obvious symptoms. They ask: 'How is a baby going to catch hepatitis B?' But, before the hepatitis B virus vaccine, every year in the United States about 18,000 children less than 10 years of age caught hepatitis B virus from someone other than their mother. Some parents wonder whether it is necessary to give the hepatitis B virus vaccine to newborns. For this reason, the hepatitis B vaccine is recommended for newborns. People are much more likely to develop these severe, and often fatal, consequences of hepatitis B virus infection if they get infected when they are very young children. Up to 1 in 4 chronically infected people will suffer severe liver damage (called cirrhosis) or liver cancer caused by hepatitis B virus. Between 1 and 2 million of these people live in the United States. And, millions of people throughout the world live with chronic hepatitis B infection. On the other hand, every year about 1,700 people die in the United States soon after being infected with hepatitis B virus. Although no one has ever died because of the hepatitis B vaccine, the symptoms of anaphylaxis caused by the vaccine can be quite frightening. The symptoms of anaphylaxis are hives, difficulty breathing and a drop in blood pressure. About 1 of every 1 million doses of hepatitis B vaccine is complicated by a severe allergic reaction, called anaphylaxis. The hepatitis B vaccine has few side effects. Offit explain the risks and benefits of vaccines by watching this short video, part of the Talking About Vaccines with Dr. To better understand the definition of the word safe when applied to vaccines, let's examine a few different vaccines and the diseases they prevent. Or, said another way, a vaccine's benefits must clearly and definitively outweigh its risks. The second definition of the word safe is 'having been preserved from a real danger.' Using this definition, the danger (the disease) must be significantly greater than the means of protecting against the danger (the vaccine). We just figure that the benefits of the activity outweigh the risks. However, few of us consider taking a bath, eating solid food or walking outside on a rainy day as unsafe activities. For example, every year in the United States, about 350 people are killed in bath- or shower-related accidents, about 5000 people are killed when food lodges in their windpipe, and about 50 people are struck and killed by lightning. Although none of these severe symptoms resulted in permanent damage, they could be quite frightening to parents.īut, in truth, few things meet the definition of 'harmless.' Even everyday activities contain hidden dangers.

For example, the original pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine could cause persistent, inconsolable crying, high fever or seizures associated with fever. And some vaccines cause more severe side effects. Almost all vaccines can cause pain, redness or tenderness at the site of injection. Using this definition, no vaccine is 100 percent safe. The first definition of the word safe is 'harmless.' This definition would imply that any negative consequence of a vaccine would make the vaccine unsafe.

Safe synonym to eat