People often wonder: why give my newborn a hepatitis B vaccine, if hep B is sexually transmitted?
True, it is. But it can also be contracted during childbirth by the baby from her mother (who unknowingly carries the virus). A child can even contract the hep B virus from another child via a bite to the arm. Infants are very likely to develop chronic liver disease from the virus.
This is why medical staff give babies a hep B vaccine within the 24 hours following birth—with boosters at 1 month and 6 months of age.
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