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Hepatitis B Vaccine
What is Hepatitis B?
Hepatitis B is a serious virus that causes inflammation of the liver. You can be infected directly, through infected blood or body fluids, sharing needles or indirectly, by coming in contact with surfaces or objects contaminated with the hepatitis B virus.
How is Hepatitis B Transmitted?
Some common ways of getting hepatitis B include contact with infected blood/body fluids through: sexual contact, sharing needles, repeatedly sharing an infected person's toothbrush, razor or earrings, cuts and scrapes during contact sports, and potentially by piercing or tattooing.
Symptoms of Hepatitis B
The symptoms usually associated with Hepatitis B include loss of appetite, nausea & vomiting, upper right abdominal pain, fever, headache, brownish urine, light gray stools, and jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes).
Prevention
It's easy to protect yourself from Hepatitis B, just get vaccinated. It consists of a series of three injections at specific intervals over a six (6) month period. Additional information on Hepatitis can be obtained from the Center for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) at:
Receiving Vaccination
The Hepatitis B vaccine is recommended, but not required, for students attending NIU. The Preventive Medicine department offers the Hepatitis B vaccine for a charge. Students who have had doses administered at home can complete the series at Health Services.
For further information, contact the Preventive Medicine office of Health Services at 815-753-9759.