Hep B risk from food and/or swimming?

[catholic74]

I had decided not to let my newborn be given the Hep B shot after birth.  I was even considering not letting him get it at all because everything I read said it was only for those who use drugs, engage in unsafe sex or are health car workers, etc....but today I read that  some people who are not in those high risk categories can get it simply from a swimming pool or contaminated food!   Is this true?   Would a child be at risk swimming in a public pool?  Maybe I should let my baby get the shot?  I'm not sure. Can anyone help me?  Thanks!

[amnesiac]

I think a lot of people get confused about the differences between hepatitis A & hepatitis B. You can certainly acquire hep A from contaminated food but you're just not going to get hep B that way. You might find some of the info in this thread of interest:

http://www.mothering.com/community/forum/thread/899093/hepatitis-a-and-swimming-pools

[Razz2525]

It's funny, I was also confused about the Hep A vs. B.  I thought you could contract Hepatitis A from a rusty nail.  I have become concerned about my two little boys who play on a preschool playground all the time and they come home covered in mulch (which they put on the base of the playground to soften falls) and scratches and scrapes...

[ma2two]

Hepatitis A is spread through fecal contamination. Usually from food prepared by an infected person who didn't wash their hands well enough or at all after having a bowel movement.

Luckily, hepatitis A is not a scary disease for children. According to the CDC's Pink Book, "In children younger than 6 years of age, most (70%) infections are asymptomatic." http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/downloads/hepa.pdf page 102

But adults can have a tougher time with it. So you should actually want your child to get hepatitis A while young, and get lifetime immunity, rather than getting the vaccine that is not going to provide as strong immunity, and which might leave him vulnerable as an adult.

That's my excuse for eating out so often.