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Hepatitis A can be spread in fecally contaminated
food and water, and symptoms include nausea, vomiting and
sometimes jaundice, a yellowing of the skin due to reduced
liver function.
Hepatitis B can be spread by infected
blood or body fluids, such as during sexual contact, sharing
IV needles, or by using contaminated equipment in body piercing
or tattooing.
The US Food and Drug Administration approved
a combination vaccine for
hepatitis A and hepatitis B on November 12.
The Twinrix vaccine is the world's only
combination vaccine for the prevention of hepatitis A and
B. Hepatitis A and hepatitis B are viruses that infect the
liver.
The approval is also especially important
for Americans traveling overseas, who often are vaccinated
for hepatitis A but not hepatitis B, she said.
Each year, an estimated 125,000
to 200,000 Americans are infected with hepatitis
A and another 140,000
to 320,000 are infected with hepatitis B.
Twinrix currently is approved in 70 markets
worldwide, including the European Union, where it was launched
in 1996. Glaxo has distributed nearly 12 million doses.
Reuters Washington
D.C., November 13, 2001
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