Table 5. Guidelines for postexposure immunoprophylaxis of unvaccinated persons who have an identifiable exposure to blood or body fluids that contain blood
| Cause | Action | |
|---|---|---|
| Exposure to an HBsAg*-positive source | Percutaneous (e.g., bite or needlestick) or mucosal exposure to HBsAg-positive blood or body fluids that contain blood | Administer hepatitis B vaccine & HBIG† |
| Sexual or needle-sharing contact of an HBsAg-positive person | Administer hepatitis B vaccine & HBIG† | |
| Victim of sexual assault/abuse by a perpetrator who is HBsAg positive | Administer hepatitis B vaccine & HBIG† | |
| Exposure to a source with unknown HBsAg status | Victim of sexual assault/abuse by a perpetrator with unknown HBsAg status | Administer hepatitis B vaccine† |
| Percutaneous (e.g., bite or needlestick) or mucosal exposure to blood or body fluids that contain blood from a source with unknown HBsAg status | Administer hepatitis B vaccine† | |
* Hepatitis B surface antigen.
† Immunoprophylaxis should be administered as soon as possible, preferably ≤24 hours. Studies are limited on the maximum interval after exposure during which postexposure prophylaxis is effective, but the interval is unlikely to exceed 7 days for percutaneous exposures and 14 days for sexual exposures. The complete, 3-dose hepatitis B vaccine series should be administered.
