Should pregnant people be vaccinated against hepatitis B during pregnancy?

Yes. People who are identified as being at risk for HBV infection during pregnancy should be vaccinated. They also should be counseled concerning other methods to prevent HBV infection. Providers should administer an age-appropriate 2-dose series of Heplisav-B or a 3-dose series of, Engerix-B, Recombivax HB, or Twinrix (HepA-HepB vaccine, if hepatitis A prevention is also desired).

Initially, Heplisav-B was not recommended during pregnancy due to a lack of safety data on administration during pregnancy; once reassuring safety data became available in 2024, FDA updated its package insert and CDC amended its HepB recommendation to include Heplisav-B as an option during pregnancy. See the December 5, 2024, MMWR for details: www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/73/wr/pdfs/mm7348a3-H.pdf.