The Hepatitis B Vaccine: What the Manufacturer's Insert Tells Us

"There is a great deal of evidence to prove that immunization of children does more harm than good." - Dr. J. Anthony Morris, former Chief Vaccine Control Officer and Research Virologist, US FDA

About Hepatitis B

Within a few hours of a hospital birth, newborn infants are injected with the Hepatitis B vaccine. The theory behind this procedure is that, this way, almost all children are caught and inoculated. It is interesting that of all the options available, including the HiB vaccine which would help prevent a disease that young infants can actually catch, the United States Centers for Disease Control have chosen to mandate this particular vaccine at birth, since it is rare and not very contagious.

All forms of Hepatitis are infections that attack the liver. The primary differences between Hep A, Hep B, Hep C, Hep D and Hep B are how they are transmitted.

There is a lot of fear surrounding this disease, with mothers sharing the horror stories of children catching hepatitis by running around barefoot or being bit by a child with hepatitis at a park. The benefits of the vaccine are equally startling and impressive - the Hepatitis B Foundation happily exclaims that "The hepatitis B vaccine is the first anti-cancer vaccine because it can prevent liver cancer. Worldwide, chronic hepatitis B causes 80% of all liver cancer, which is the 9th leading cause of death. Therefore, a vaccine that protects against a hepatitis B infection can also help prevent liver cancer."

Incidentally, the highest numbers of liver cancer in the United States are caused by alcoholic cirrhosis, not chronic Hepatitis B infection (Blumberg, B.S. and London, W.T. 1980. In Essex, M. et al. (eds) "Viruses in Naturally Occurring Cancer, Book A, Cold Spring Harbour Conferences on Cell Proliferation.")