Hepatitis vaccinations

Verified 08 October 2021 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

Viral hepatitis is a serious disease because of the risk of its complication and progression. Vaccination can effectively prevent hepatitis A and B. It is recommended for some people and is mandatory in some cases (hepatitis B vaccination is mandatory for all infants). These rules apply to all persons residing in France, regardless of their nationality.

Hepatitis A

Specific recommendations

Vaccination against hepatitis A is recommended for the following:

  • Youth in institutions and services for children and youth with disabilities
  • People with cystic fibrosis or liver disease that can become chronic (including hepatitis B, hepatitis C or liver damage due to excessive alcohol consumption)
  • Children from the age of one year, born in families where at least one of the members originates from a country which is frequently infected and which may have to stay there
  • Men who have sex with men
Recommendations for a case of hepatitis A

In the presence of one or more confirmed cases of hepatitis A, vaccination is recommended for the following people:

  • Family or friend of a person with hepatitis A (or any person living in the same household) within 14 days
  • Community of life in a situation of precarious hygiene
Recommendations for professionals

Vaccination is recommended for the following personnel at occupational risk of contamination:

  • In charge of children under the age of cleanliness (examples: nursery assistants, nursery staff)
  • Working in collective accommodation facilities for people with disabilities
  • Wastewater and sewage treatment
  • Involved in food preparation in mass catering
Recommendations for certain travelers

Vaccination is recommended for travelers who have to stay in a country where hygiene is precarious, particularly for people suffering from chronic liver disease and cystic fibrosis. It is recommended as early as 1 year of age.

Hepatitis B

Mandatory vaccination

Vaccination is mandatory for children born from 1er January 2018.

Vaccination is also compulsory for professionals at risk of contamination working in the following establishments or services:

  • Hospitals and other care facilities (clinics, nursing homes)
  • Maternal and child protection (MCH) and family planning facilities
  • Medical biology analysis laboratories
  • Blood transfusion centers and stations
  • Storage and storage establishments for human products other than blood products
  • Accommodation facilities and services for adults with disabilities
  • Facilities and services for children and youth with disabilities
  • Accommodation facilities for the elderly
  • Child protection institutions and social services
  • Childcare facilities for preschool children
  • Training establishments for health personnel
  • Communal health and hygiene services
  • sanitary transport companies
  • Occupational and preventive health services in schools
  • Home Support Health Services
  • Fire and rescue services
  • Dental care facilities
  • Prison health facility

Please note

laundries, funeral companies, companies for transporting bodies before beer is put up, and fire and rescue services shall be treated as such bodies in so far as they are involved in their activities.

Students in the following professions are subject to this obligation:

  • Medical and pharmaceutical professions (doctor, dental surgeon, pharmacist, midwife)
  • Other health professions (e.g. nurse, dental assistant, nursing assistant, ambulance attendant)

Finally, thanatopractors in training and in practice are subject to an obligation to be vaccinated against hepatitis B.

Recommended vaccination

Vaccination is recommended for the following people:

  • Children and adolescents in services and institutions for children and youth with disabilities
  • Preschool children in community care
  • Infants born to hepatitis B carrier mothers and those born in Guyana or Mayotte
  • Children and adults in psychiatric institutions
  • People who have sex with multiple partners, who have been exposed to STIs, or who have had an STI recently
  • Parenteral and intranasal drug users
  • Travelers to medium- and high-endemic countries
  • People who may reside in areas with a high or medium level endemic disease
  • People who can receive massive and/or repeated transfusions or blood-derived medicines (hemophiliacs, dialysis patients, kidney failure...)
  • Candidates for organ, tissue or cell transplantation
  • Close contacts of people with acute or chronic hepatitis B (people living in the same household)
  • Sexual partners of a person infected with hepatitis B virus or a chronic carrier of the virus
  • Inmates who may have a number of exposure factors to hepatitis B virus
  • People with chronic liver disease
  • People infected with HIV or hepatitis C virus

Persons who may be in direct contact with patients, blood or other biological products, directly or indirectly (e.g. healthcare professionals, first responders, prison guards, garbage collectors, sewers, police officers, tattooists) are also affected.

Hepatitis C

There is no vaccine for hepatitis C. Only blood tests can testing for hepatitis C virus (HCV).

You need to see a doctor to get a prescription and then buy the vaccine from a pharmacy.

Vaccination usually involves 1re injection, followed by a booster 6 months later.

Vaccination can be carried out in the doctor's office or in a public institution (dispensary, maternal and child protection center, free vaccination center).

Your city hall can provide you with the addresses of these organizations.

Who shall I contact

Please note

if your child is vaccinated, the vaccine should be recorded on the child’s health book.

Purchase of the vaccine

Hepatitis A vaccine

The hepatitis A vaccine is reimbursed to 65% by health insurance for:

  • Patients or carriers of active chronic liver disease including hepatitis B and hepatitis C
  • Cystic fibrosis patients

Hepatitis B vaccine

The hepatitis B vaccine, bought with a medical prescription, is reimbursed by the health insurance 65%.

Injection

Vaccine injection is paying, but reimbursed by the Social Security, when it is carried out by a doctor or a midwife (reimbursement to 70%) or a nurse (reimbursement to 60%).

She's free in a public facility (health center, maternal and child protection center, free vaccination center).

Please note

the vaccine injection can be 100% managed for people with certain long-term conditions (ALD).

If you notice an adverse effect on your health, following vaccination, you can report it on the portal "Health reporting":

Health reporting