[MCOH-EH] Incompletely Vaccinated HepB & Immunity Titers

[Erika Sweet]

See attached CDC FAQ on Hep B and the Healthcare Worker.

Erika Sweet, RN, MSN, NP, COHN-S
Director of Employee Health Services
Los Angeles County Department of Health Services
Office (310) 222.2364



From: MCOH-EH [mailto:mcoh-eh-bounces+esweet=dhs.lacounty.gov at mylist.net] On Behalf Of Stuart Sandler via MCOH-EH
Sent: Tuesday, July 10, 2018 5:33 AM
To: mcoh-eh at mylist.net
Cc: fldocstu at aol.com
Subject: Re: [MCOH-EH] Incompletely Vaccinated HepB & Immunity Titers

List,

I may be missing something, so ask for enlightenment.  If someone comes in knowing that they had the 3 series of HepB vaccine and you receive a positive HepBSAb titer on your pre-hire testing, why would you give a repeat series if the person cannot produce written documentation of the vaccines?  I received my vaccines many years ago and the institution is no longer available to ask for records, nor did we think of that at the time.  Would not the positive titer itself suffice for proof of immunity?  I have not been asked in the past by any employer or hospital for proof of vaccine, just proof of immunity.


And what do you do with a person who doesn't remember if they had ever been vaccinated (happens more times than I can count), yet has a sufficient HepBSAb titer?  It doesn't mean that they never received the series.  Then, too, what do you do if the person received two vaccines only, but has a significantly positive titer?  Why would you give them the third, especially if it had been a while since the first two? For example, I became significantly symptomatic after my second vaccine (OK, it WAS in the stone ages at the early start of vaccinations and they weren't as refined as they are curently), so a titer was done prior to getting the third.  I had a high Ab titer, so it was decided that I had been properly immunized and that the risks of having the third were outweighed by the possible of a worsened reaction.  BTW, I had a documented 0 titer prior to the vaccine series.

Just curious.

Stuart A. Sandler, DO


-----Original Message-----

Today's Topics:

1. Re: #ExtMail# Incompletely Vaccinated HepB & Immunity Titers
AND ? requiring Hepatitis B vaccination for employees?
(Schweitzer, Kit)


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Message: 1
Date: Mon, 9 Jul 2018 22:32:14 +0000
From: "Schweitzer, Kit" <KSchweitzer at peacehealth.org<mailto:KSchweitzer at peacehealth.org>>
To: "MCOH/EH" <mcoh-eh at mylist.net<mailto:eh at mylist.net>>
Subject: Re: [MCOH-EH] #ExtMail# Incompletely Vaccinated HepB &
Immunity Titers AND ? requiring Hepatitis B vaccination for employees?
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We require documentation of 3 Hep B vaccs AND positive titer to ensure life long immunity as recommended by CDC. We start the series over if they don't have documentation and only a titer. If documentation and no titer, we draw a titer.
Thank you.


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