Are Hepatitis B Booster Shots Necessary?

Booster shots for the hepatitis B vaccine are unnecessary according to a new study that tracked effectiveness at 11, 15, 22, and 30 years.

While hepatitis B immunization has been shown to be very effective, the duration of protection from the vaccine is less well documented.
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For this reason, researchers tracked protection among 1578 Alaska Native adults and children who received the vaccination in 1981, shortly after it first became available.

Response to the vaccine was tested over the first 11 years of study, at 15 and 22 years after the first dose, and 30 years later (among 435 of the remaining eligible participants who had not received a booster shot at 22 years from the original group).

At 22 years, 60% of the participants still showed protective levels of antibodies. After 30 years, 51% of participants showed protective levels of antibodies. Of the 85 participants with levels not classified as protective, a booster dose resulted in 88% showing protective levels 30 days later.

“Hepatitis booster doses are not currently needed for these groups at 30 years out from primary vaccine series. We plan to follow the antibody and booster response of this unique cohort at 35 years and will also look at cell-mediated immune response among participants,” they concluded.

—Michael Potts

Reference:

Bruce MG, Bruden D, Hurlburt D, et al. Antibody levels and protection after hepatitis B vaccine: results of a 30-year follow-up study and response to a booster dose [published online January 21, 2016]. J Infect Dis. doi:10.1093/infdis/jiv748.