Immune response to hepatitis B vaccine in the staff of a hemodialysis unit
Landa, L.; Rattoni, N.; Lehne, C.; Trujillo, J.; Landa, E.
Archivos de Investigacion Medica 15(2): 133-138
1984
ISSN/ISBN: 0066-6769 PMID: 6487003 Document Number: 241725
The immunologic reaction to hepatitis B vaccine was studied in 36 persons from a hemodialysis department with 36 subjects of the same department who were not vaccinated, as controls. An employee of this department has 66.6% of probabilities of developing superficial hepatitis B antigen, during a period of 6 mo. During this period he runs a risk of 13.8% of contracting the superificial antigen, of which 5.5% have a probability of developing acute hepatitis and 8.3% of becoming healthy carriers. Hepavac vaccine stimulated the production of hepatitis B superficial antibody in 89% of cases during a period of 6 mo. The vaccine employed has the sufficient degree of purity that it does not entail the risk of producing hepatitis, and does not contain core nor e or hepatitis B antigens.