Concerns about possible adverse effects of hepatitis B vaccine are being taken seriously and carefully controlled scientific studies are underway to examine whether vaccination is associated with serious neurological disease in a small number of people. There is no confirmed scientific evidence that hepatitis B vaccine causes chronic illnesses (including multiple sclerosis, chronic fatigue syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, optic neuritis or other autoimmune disorders.). Serious adverse events reported after receiving hepatitis B vaccine are very uncommon and may represent coincidence rather than causation. Given the frequency and severity of hepatitis B infection, the benefit of vaccination far outweighs the known and potential risks.
  

Hepatitis B infection is acquired by exposure to blood or body fluids from an infected person. It is about 100 times easier to transmit than is HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Blood and body fluid exposure, while more frequent among some "high risk" groups, can occur among persons of all ages, and social or ethnic groups. When a child acquires hepatitis B infection, it is more likely to become chronic with potentially severe consequences. Antibiotics cannot cure hepatitis B infection - prevention is the best option. This provides a rationale for recommending universal childhood hepatitis B vaccination. This recommendation also is based on the inability to predict which children will go on to become high-risk adolescents and the better coverage of childhood vaccinations programs compared with those for adolescents or adults.