So I have a houseguest coming over to stay in a month who is a Hep B carrier, and I've recently found through my hep panel that I tested all negative which means I'm not immune to it, and have never been vaccinated before.
I was born in China and my parents insists that they had given me three shots of hep b vaccine when I was little (base shots?) but from the bloodwork it seems to have expired as I have never gotten any booster doses. I am going back to China for more than a year for study purposes so I will be exposed to the general environment - it is a high risk country for hep b.
My question is, should I get vaccinated, and where? Does it make a difference if I want to vaccinate in the UK - will I have to start again, or can I just get a booster dose? Is there any difference in the dosage of the vaccine, composition, side effects etc? Also I am leaving for China in two months, is it worth waiting till I go to China or before I leave?
Another question is - just how careful do I have to be around my houseguest? There is confused information about whether hep b actually is transmitted through saliva, ie can I eat with him in the same dish etc. What if he or I have cuts in our mouths or something? I know it sounds paranoid but any help to straighten it out would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance for any advice. :)