Hepatitis B vaccines now mandatory for troops

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Stephanie Clark
  • 914th Airlift Wing/Public Affairs
NIAGARA FALLS AIR RESERVE STATION, N.Y. --  The Department of Defense recently updated their immunization regulations to require that all service members be immunized against the hepatitis B virus.  The 914th Aeromedical Staging Squadron here has taken steps to provide this mandatory vaccination to members of the wing.

The Air Force has vaccinated all new accessions against hepatitis B since 2002, as well as health care workers and most deployers, but there are still several thousand Airmen at risk for this disease.

Hepatitis B is a viral infection which affects the liver. It spreads through the blood and other bodily fluids of an infected person. People can also become infection by contact with a contaminated object, where the virus can live for up to seven days.

Hepatitis B can present itself in two ways. The acute (short-term) illness symptoms include loss of appetite, diarrhea and vomiting, tiredness, jaundice (yellow skin or eyes), and pain in muscles, joints and stomach. Acute illness is common in adults. Children who become infected do not usually have symptoms.

The chronic (long-term infection) commonly doesn't present with symptoms but is still very serious, and may lead to liver damage, liver cancer, and death. Chronic infection is more common in infants and children than in adults. A person who is chronically infected can spread the virus to others, even if they don't look or feel sick.

Captain Kevin Kosal, 914 ASTS, states that the rise of blood borne pathogens in the non-immunized population leads to higher chances of exposure. The risk is even greater in many deployed locations. This vaccination provides long term protection from the hepatitis B infection, possibly lifelong.

For more information on hepatitis B:
· Center for Disease Control
· World Health Organization