New vaccine proves more effective for health care workers

Health care workers face a higher risk of hepatitis B due to their exposure to blood and body fluids. To protect them, it is important to measure their immunity after vaccination. They are considered immune if their hepatitis B antibody levels are at least 10 mIU/mL after full vaccination. A recent study compared the effectiveness of Heplisav-B, a new hepatitis B vaccine, against standard boosters in previously vaccinated health care workers. The research was done at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences from 2019 to 2022. The study included medical students who had low antibody levels despite completing their vaccinations. Participants received either a standard booster or the Heplisav-B booster. Researchers checked their antibody levels at least 30 days later. The results showed that 99.4% of those who received Heplisav-B reached protective antibody levels. In contrast, 92.7% of those who received a standard booster achieved the same levels. The difference of 6.7% was significant, indicating that Heplisav-B was more effective. Notably, all seven participants who did not reach protective levels after one booster achieved immunity after additional vaccinations. These findings suggest that a single Heplisav-B booster is often enough for most young, healthy health care workers who have had complete vaccination.