The urgency for vaccination intensified for Khai's family after his 70-year-old father received a devastating diagnosis. According to the family, the man had lived a healthy lifestyle, abstaining from alcohol and tobacco. He often experienced poor appetite, yellow skin, and a slightly distended abdomen, but dismissed these as typical signs of aging, thus not seeking medical attention. Recently, severe abdominal pain, prolonged nausea, and extreme fatigue prompted him to see a doctor, where he was diagnosed with late-stage cancer stemming from chronic hepatitis B.

Because hepatitis B is an infectious disease, doctors advised the family to get screened and vaccinated as soon as possible. Consequently, they visited VNVC Hoang Van Thu for vaccination in late January.

A 64-year-old woman in Ho Chi Minh City is receiving treatment for liver cancer due to chronic hepatitis B at Tam Anh General Hospital. *Photo: Tam Anh General Hospital*

Similarly, My, a 27-year-old from Phu Yen, also used her lunch break to get her second hepatitis B vaccine dose at VNVC Hai Ba Trung in Ho Chi Minh City. She stated that she was vaccinated as a child but had never received a booster. She also brought her mother for vaccination after a family member was recently diagnosed with hepatitis B.

"I learned that hepatitis B is a common and easily transmissible disease, so I got tested. The doctor then recommended vaccination because my antibodies were insufficient for protection," My said.

Doctor Dinh Thi Hang Nga from the VNVC Hai Ba Trung Vaccination Center in Tan Dinh Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, noted a recent increase in people seeking hepatitis B vaccinations for prevention, including both initial doses and boosters. Vaccinated individuals span various age groups: children, teenagers, adults, and the elderly. Many cite a family member's diagnosis of hepatitis B, cirrhosis, or liver cancer due to chronic hepatitis B as their reason for getting vaccinated.

According to doctors, Vietnam is among the top 10 countries globally with the highest hepatitis B infection rates, affecting 8-10% of the population. The disease often presents without symptoms, easily leading to cirrhosis and liver cancer, accounting for approximately 50% of liver cancer cases. Co-infection with hepatitis B and D can increase the risk of liver cancer by 2-6 times. Vietnam currently ranks 5th worldwide in liver cancer mortality rates.

The hepatitis B virus is transmitted through blood, unsafe sexual contact, from mother to child during childbirth, or by sharing personal items contaminated with blood or bodily fluids from an infected person. Therefore, hepatitis B prevention is often recommended for entire families.

Adults receiving hepatitis B vaccination at VNVC Hai Ba Trung. *Photo: Hoang Duong*

Doctor Nga advises that individuals living with or frequently exposed to hepatitis B patients are at high risk of exposure and should undergo regular testing. If infected, treatment should follow a doctor's instructions. In cases of absent or insufficient protective antibodies, early vaccination is crucial to boost immunity.

Vietnam currently offers various vaccines containing hepatitis B components, including: 6-in-1, 5-in-1, 2-in-1 (also protecting against hepatitis A), and single-dose vaccines.

Infants require one hepatitis B dose within 24 hours of birth, followed by the 6-in-1 or 5-in-1 vaccine schedule. Adults need three doses within six months, or four doses for high-risk individuals, with hepatitis B testing recommended before vaccination. Boosters are necessary when antibody levels fall below the protective threshold. Vaccination is no longer effective if an individual has already contracted hepatitis B.

The Anh