Originally Posted by
robyng
In fairness to China - manicures/pedicures can pose dangers to customers just about anywhere in the world:
[/URL]
Robyn
Yes, the risk is everywhere, which is a good reason for frequent travelers who have no contraindications, to go ahead and get the vaccine. FWIW, I've seen plenty of U.S. salons that now assign manicure customers personal kits so their tools are used only on them. However, we were talking about China. "Fairness" is irrelevant. The difference is that the prevalence of Hep B infection in the general population is much higher here and SE Asia than much of the rest of the world except for parts of Africa. There's a reason why labwork for annual physicals in this region include a Hep B screen as standard, right up there with blood count and cholesterol measurement. Chances are good that 1 of every 6 people you see on the street in China is a carrier, most of them infected neonatally or during childhood and relatively fewer from adult fun & games.
Put another way, quoting news articles about risks of Hep B in other countries does not lessen the greater risk of same in China. It just seems like an attempt to trivialize the problem. Take or do not take the vaccine as you wish for your personal circumstances, but don't trivialize.