VCOM Institutional Policy and Procedure Manual

VCOM Policy and Procedure

Policy #S013

a. Students who have received the initial series of Hepatitis B vaccines and do not seroconvert to demonstrate immunity will be required to do the following: i. Receive a single challenge dose of hepatitis B vaccine and complete a repeat quantitative surface antibody titer 4-6 weeks later. If the student shows immunity following the challenge dose, they are considered immune and require no further vaccination or testing is required. ii. Those whose quantitative titer shows no evidence of immunity after the challenge dose will be required to complete a second series of the hepatitis B vaccine on the usual schedule and be tested again at 4-6 weeks after the last dose. 6. Students who do not show no evidence of immunity following completion of a second Hepatitis B immunization series (additional testing required): a. Per CDC guidelines, any student who does not obtain protective immunity to Hepatitis B after a completion of 2 vaccination series (6 total immunizations) will also be required to obtain serologic testing for Hepatitis B infection. i. Testing for Hepatitis B is accomplished through evaluation of serum HBsAg (Hepatitis B Surface Antigen) and anti-HBc (Total Hepatitis B core antibody). a) Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg): A protein on the iii. If the student continues to have quantitative titers show no evidence of immunity after a second complete vaccination series, then they are considered a non-responder and will be required to receive a hepatitis B evaluation for all exposures.

surface of HBV; it can be detected in high levels in serum during acute or chronic HBV infection. The presence of HBsAg indicates that the person is infectious. The body normally produces antibodies to HBsAg as part of the normal immune response to infection. HBsAg is the antigen used to make Hepatitis B vaccine. b) Total Hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc): Appears at the onset of symptoms in acute Hepatitis B and persists for life. The presence of anti-HBc indicates previous or ongoing infection with HBV in an undefined time

VCOM Minimal Health Requirements for Admission and Continued Enrollment

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