Which vaccine did many older adults miss, but it’s a part of routine vaccinations for infants and child? By Dania Antar

You'd be correct if you guessed the hepatitis A and B vaccines! The hepatitis A and B vaccines weren’t widely distributed to the public until the 1990s when they were given to infants and children. That’s why some adults born before 1990 aren’t vaccinated against hepatitis A and B.

There are five different forms of viral hepatitis, A, B, C, D, and E, however, hepatitis A, B, and C are most common in the U.S. Hepatitis A and B are preventable by vaccination.

Viral hepatitis causes inflammation of the liver. Hepatitis A is mostly a foodborne illness that can spread through contaminated water and unwashed food. This form of hepatitis can cause sickness for up to a month; however, most individuals recover without lasting liver damage. It is recommended that individuals traveling internationally are vaccinated against hepatitis A.

Hepatitis B and C are more severe forms of hepatitis as they can result in liver cancer if infected. Hepatitis B and C are spread when an infected individual’s blood or bodily fluids enter the body of someone who is not infected. For example, this can occur through birth from an infected mother, sex with an infected person, or sharing equipment contaminated with blood from an infected person.

At dfusion, we are focusing on reducing the spread of Hepatitis B and C and HIV by increasing access to clean syringes for people who inject drugs (PWID) nationwide through training pharmacy staff on how to successfully sell non-prescription syringes (NPS) to PWID at their pharmacies. Pharmacies can serve as touchpoints for connecting PWID with access to clean single-use items, such as syringes, and relevant services like naloxone for overdose prevention, HIV and Hepatitis testing, and substance use disorder treatment.