Hepatitis A and hepatitis B vaccinations: immunogenicity of combined vaccine and of simultaneously or separately applied single vaccines.

The vaccination success and side effects of hepatitis A and hepatitis B immunisation of health care employees when using a combined vaccine were compared to those observed with simultaneous or single immunisations. The immunological response of two groups of healthy participants (75 each) receiving either single HAV or HBV vaccination was compared with that of two groups (75 each) vaccinated either simultaneously with both vaccines or with the combined vaccine. There were no non or low responders with respect to hepatitis A vaccination. Only one participant failed to build up an anti-HBs titer after combined vaccination. The good tolerance of separate, simultaneous and combined vaccinations was confirmed. Both combined and simultaneous vaccination led to significantly higher anti-HAV titers than single immunisation, while markedly but not significantly higher anti-HBs titers were found only with simultaneous vaccination. Considering the additional advantage of the higher acceptance of only one injection with the combined vaccine, this vaccination should be recommended for employees at risk for both hepatitis A and hepatitis B.