Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B Vaccines:

Be Sure Your Patients Get the Correct Dose

Hepatitis A vaccines: Recommended dosages and schedules Answer to a commonly
vaccine age group volume # doses dosing intervals asked question:
It is not necessary to
Havrix 1 through 18 yrs 0.5 mL 2 0, 612 mos restart the series of
(GlaxoSmithKline) 19 yrs and older 1.0 mL 2 0, 612 mos hepatitis B or hepatitis
A vaccines because of
Vaqta 1 through 18 yrs 0.5 mL 2 0, 612 mos an extended interval
(Merck) 19 yrs and older 1.0 mL 2 0, 612 mos between doses.

* Birth dose administered prior to

Hepatitis B vaccines: Recommended dosages and schedules discharge from the facility
The 4-month HepB dose may
vaccine age group volume schedules/dosing
# doses intervals
not be needed depending on the
brand of vaccine used.
There are minimum intervals
Age: birth (0)*, 12 between the doses of hepatitis B
mos, 4 mos, 618 mos vaccine. There must be at least
For older children 4 weeks between doses #1 and
Engerix-B 0 through 19 yrs 0.5 mL 3 #2, at least 8 weeks between
(GlaxoSmithKline) who did not start HepB doses #2 and #3, and at least
series at birth: 0, 12, 16 weeks between doses #1 and
46 mos #3. The final dose in the infant
series should not be given earlier
than 24 weeks of age.
20 yrs and older 1.0 mL 3 0, 12, 46 mos 
For adult dialysis patients, the
Age: birth (0)*, 12 Engerix-B dose required is 2.0
mL (use the adult formulation)
mos, 4 mos, 618 mos on a schedule of 0, 1, 2, and 6
For older children months. For Recombivax HB,
0 through 19 yrs 0.5 mL 3 a special formulation for dialysis
Recombivax HB who did not start HepB patients is available. The dose
(Merck) series at birth: 0, 12, for the dialysis formulation is
46 mos 1.0 mL and it is given on a
schedule of 0, 1, and 6 months.
11 through 15 yrs 1.0 mL 2 0, 46 mos ** When using HepB at birth and
3 doses of Pediarix, you will be
20 yrs and older 1.0 mL 3 0, 12, 46 mos administering 4 doses of HepB
which is recommended by ACIP.

Combination vaccines: Recommended dosages and schedules Sources for all tables
Prevention of Hepatitis A Through
vaccine age group volume schedules/dosing Active or Passive Immunization:
# doses intervals Recommendations of the ACIP,
MMWR, May 19, 2006, Vol. 55
(RR-07).
For infants: At birth
Pediarix use monovalent hepa- A Comprehensive Immunization
Strategy to Eliminate Transmission
DTaP+HepB+IPV 6 wks through
0.5 mL 3 titis B vaccine, then of Hepatitis B Virus Infection in the
(GlaxoSmithKline)
6 yrs United States: Recommendations
Pediarix at age 2 mos, of the ACIP, Part I: Immunization of
4 mos, 6 mos** Infants, Children and Adolescents,
MMWR, December 2005, Vol. 54
Twinrix 1.0 mL 3 0, 1, 6 mos (RR-16).
A Comprehensive Immunization
HepA+HepB 18 yrs and older Strategy to Eliminate Transmission
(GlaxoSmithKline) 1.0 mL 4 0, 7, 2130 days, 12 mos of Hepatitis B Virus Infection in the
United States: Recommendations
of the ACIP, Part II: Immunization
of Adults, MMWR, December 2006,
Vol. 55(RR-16).

Technical content reviewed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Saint Paul, Minnesota 651- 647- 9009 www.immunize.org www.vaccineinformation.org

www.immunize.org/catg.d/p2081.pdf Item #P2081 (9/16)