If a patient misses doses in the HepB vaccine series, when should the series be restarted?

In cases where a patient misses doses of the Hepatitis B vaccine series, there is no need to restart the entire vaccination sequence as long as the individual has received at least one dose. The Hepatitis B vaccination series consists of three doses, and if a patient has started the series but missed one or more doses, they should simply continue from the point where they missed the doses.

The rationale behind this approach is based on the concept of "catching up" with immunizations. Guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) emphasize that maintaining the integrity of the initial series is important, and the immune response generated by the first dose, as well as the subsequent doses, continues to provide some degree of protection. Therefore, if any doses are missed, completion of the series is advised without restarting.

This practice not only ensures that individuals still receive the necessary protection from Hepatitis B but also encourages adherence to vaccination schedules by minimizing barriers to completing the series.