Hepatitis B kills 4,000 to 5,000 people a year. Infected people may be symptom-free for years as the virus slowly assaults the liver. And liver failure is fatal. In 36 states, schools require children to be vaccinated for hepatitis B before they enter kindergarten or first grade. In some of those states, the laws take effect this year or in 2000 or later.
Many states allow parents to request exemptions.
Dr. Bonnie Dunbar, a cellular biologist at Baylor College of Medicine, believes that in certain people, a genetic component sets off an explosive chain of events after they receive the vaccine. Package inserts alert doctors that serious adverse experiences have been reported after vaccination, including multiple sclerosis, arthritis, Guillain-Barre Syndrome and lupus. But manufacturers don't believe there is a link between the vaccine and these illnesses. The CDC also doesn't believe there's a link. Since 1991, the agency has endorsed mandatory vaccination of newborns, even though the risk of hepatitis B infection is small in children.