Hep B Vaccinations Should Be Given to Diabetics: US Advisers

27 October 2011

U.S. vaccine advisers on Tuesday voted to recommend routine vaccination for Hepatitis B for adults with diabetes under the age of 60 and said people older than 60 “may” get the vaccine as well.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which advises the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), voted 12-2 to include diabetics in the high-risk group of unvaccinated adults that should get vaccinated.

This is the first time the panel made a recommendation for people with diabetes, after studies showed those under the age of 60 were more than twice as likely to get infected with Hepatitis B than those without diabetes. Studies found no observed significant increase of Hepatitis B in diabetics over the age of 60.

 

Hep B Vaccinations Should Be Given to Diabetics: US Advisers