Hepatitis B Vaccine Schedule Recommendations

Standard Vaccination Schedules by Age Group

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends a standard schedule for Hepatitis B vaccine administration of 0, 1, and 6 months for children, adolescents, and adults 1, 2
The recommended schedule for adults is 3 doses at 0, 1, and 6 months 1, 2, 3
Alternative adult schedules include a 4-dose schedule at 0, 1, 2, and 12 months 1, 2
For hemodialysis patients, a 4-dose schedule of Engerix-B (higher dose) at 0, 1, 2, and 6 months is recommended 1, 2, 4
The standard schedule for adolescents is 3 doses at 0, 1, and 6 months 1, 2
Alternative adolescent schedules include a 2-dose schedule at 0 and 4-6 months (using adult formulation of Recombivax HB for ages 11-15 years) 1, 2
For children, the standard schedule is 3 doses at 0, 1, and 6 months 1, 2

The minimum interval between first and second doses is 4 weeks 1, 2
The minimum interval between second and third doses is 8 weeks 1, 2
The minimum interval between first and third doses is 16 weeks 1, 2
Vaccine doses administered ≤4 days before the minimum interval are considered valid 1, 2
If the vaccination schedule is interrupted, the series does not need to be restarted 1, 2, 3

For adult hemodialysis patients, annual anti-HBs testing is recommended with booster doses when levels fall below a certain threshold 4, 5
Higher doses and more frequent monitoring are recommended for immunocompromised patients 4, 5
Post-vaccination serologic testing is recommended 1-2 months after completing the series for immunocompromised patients 4, 5

Do not restart the series if the vaccination schedule is interrupted; simply continue where left off 1, 2, 3
Do not use standard adult doses in hemodialysis patients instead of the recommended higher doses 4
Do not administer doses at shorter-than-recommended intervals, as this may result in suboptimal immune response 1, 2