Since the 1980s, there has been a policy for occupational hepatitis B vaccination. Hepatitis B is a liver disease that can be very serious and is caused by the hepatitis B virus. The virus is highly transmissible through blood-to-blood and blood-to-mucous membrane contact. In particular, healthcare workers may contract or spread the hepatitis B virus, for example through needlestick injuries with contaminated needles.
Since 2011, hepatitis B vaccination has been included in the National Immunisation Programme. As a result, individuals who were fully vaccinated against hepatitis B in childhood will soon enter the labour market. The Dutch Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment asked the Health Council of the Netherlands what this means for the policy on occupational hepatitis B vaccination. The permanent subcommittee on Occupational Vaccinations considered this question. The committee advises offering workers who were vaccinated in childhood a booster vaccination against hepatitis B and then conducting a titre test to check whether sufficient antibodies are present in the blood.
Vaccination against hepatitis B at a young age provides very good protection, which is expected to be lifelong. However, a titre test is not standard practice after a routine vaccination, and without it, there is no certainty about the level of protection. For occupational hepatitis B vaccination, this maximum certainty is necessary to cover the risk of someone contracting or spreading the virus at work as much as possible.