Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Twinrix Vaccine

Twinrix is a vaccine that is used for protection against hepatitis A & B. A number of people had told me that it gave coverage for life. The manufacturer, Glaxo Smith Kline, states that the vaccine provides coverage for about 15 to 20 years. If you are not sure if you have been vaccinated in the past, say at school, or are not certain that you still have coverage, you can go for blood work and get a serology test. This test will tell you if you still have active antibodies against hepatitis A & B.

There are two different dosing schedules that may be used for administering the Twinrix vaccine. The most common dosing schedule is a shot at 0, 1, and 6 months. If you need coverage faster, there is a rapid dose that involoves 4 shots. Rapid schedule is 0, 7, and 21 days followed by a fourth dose at 12 months from the first.

The Twinrix vaccine is used for ages 1 year old and above. There are some common possible side effects including redness, swelling, and pain at the site of injection. Other inconvenient possible side effects are headache, malaise, nausea and fatigue.

WHAT IS HEPATITIS AND HOW COULD I GET INFECTED?
Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver caused by the hepatovirus.

Hepatitis A is contamination by fecal matter. Hygiene and sanitation are the best preventative measures. Wash hands after using the washroom to prevent spreading to others. To protect yourself use clean towels, your own toothbrush that you keep covered, clean utensils and your own personal hygiene products. A common site for picking up Hepatitis A is at a restuarant where an employee did not wash.

Hepatitis B is transferred through blood and body fluids. Unprotected sex, blood transfusion, tattoos, manicures, mother to infant and contaminated needles are all possible ways to contract hepatitis B. Abstinence or latex condoms will greatly reduce the risk of transferring hepatitis B as will proper testing of blood before any form of transfusions, clean needles and clean manicure supplies.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF HEPATITIS?

Fatigue, fever, abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea, appetite lose, depression and jaunice may appear 2 to 6 weeks after infection. Some individuals may exhibit no symptoms.

I travel frequently and have been to Puerto Vallarta, Los Cabos, Mazatlan, and Punta Cana. I definitely got the Twinrix vaccine before setting out. Some countries are not as aware of good hygiene practices as you would expect in Canada. I fully support the hepatitis A & B vaccine if you are going to be travelling. Use this connection to the travelsafely site for videos and information before travelling.








2 comments:

Unknown said...

Hello the vaccine is really good cause they heal really fast so i prefer it that the pills. cerebritis is a bad problem we need to do something about it.

Anonymous said...

That vaccination is perfect because I remember when I was child I got hepatitis, actually I've heard that that vaccine is being combined with generic viagra it could be dangerous.