I discussed the issue of in-household transmission and reassured both families. They have all begun the process of completing the hepatitis B vaccine series. The facts are that most children who are carriers of hepatitis B are healthy in their appearance and no one can tell if a person is a carrier by just looking at him. Among my patients, the vast majority of parents had either not completed or even begun the hepatitis B vaccine series by the time their adoption was completed. Most of the families who contact me from around the U.S. whose children are hepatitis B carriers have not completed their hepatitis B vaccine series when they find out the diagnosis for their children.
People are very anxious about the possible infection of family members, friends, and school mates.
I would rather see the family in a position of comfort and control knowing that with a completed hepatitis B vaccine series, they are essentially safe. Usually people do not know the infection status of children or adults in any environment since this is confidential information. When someone is bleeding, gloves should be available so that a family member, teacher, or friend can safely assist the bleeding patient. Blood on surfaces should be cleaned up with a simple bleach solution. Most schools have requirements for gloves and bleach for handling blood exposure.