<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by squeakr:
We had the A + B series and our MD told us w/ out the 2nd shot, the vaccine is not effective. </font>
The above is true ONLY IF you have never had a HepA or HepB vaccination before. If it is the first vaccination, then 1 shot of either (or the combination) will not afford any protection.
If you have been vaccinated previously, then 1 shot may be enough of a 'booster'. But the only way to know is to get a blood test to test your immunity for both A & B ('titres').
RE: Hep B -- if you responded to your first set of 3 shots, then you are likely protected for ~10 years. Initially, the thought was protection for life, but as time went on, a fair number of people lost their immunity, so a booster is recommended.
RE: Hep A -- the vaccine is too new too say much on long-term (>10 years) immunity. If you were vaccinated more than 5 years ago, I would check the blood test first.
As an aside, I received 3, yes THREE, series of HepB shots (9 in total over the years -- ouch!) and I NEVER mounted a response by my blood test. Although I was working in high-risk areas, I stopped getting them.
(stick me once, shame on you; stick me 9 times, and I am bloody fool)
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Da DOK