New Jersey § 18a:61d-8

§ 18a:61d-8.

The Legislature finds and declares that: a. Hepatitis B is a serious viral disease that attacks the liver and can cause lifelong

infection, cirrhosis of the liver, liver cancer, liver failure and even death; after

tobacco, hepatitis B is the world's leading known cause of cancer; b. Hepatitis B virus is spread through blood and other body fluids and has been shown

in some instances to remain infectious on environmental surfaces for at least a month

at room temperature; in some settings, the virus can be up to 100 times more contagious

than the virus that causes AIDS; c. Individuals are at greater risk of hepatitis B virus infection who: have multiple

sex partners; use injection drugs; have household contact with an individual who

has lifelong hepatitis B infection; and travel to areas of the world where hepatitis

B is common; d. In 1999, an estimated 80,000 individuals in the United States were infected with

the hepatitis B virus, and one out of 20 individuals in the United States will be

infected with the virus at some time in their lives; approximately 30% of individuals

who are infected show no signs or symptoms and can unknowingly pass the virus to others; e. The highest rate of hepatitis B disease occurs in individuals 20 to 49 years of

age; in 1998, 205 hepatitis B cases were reported in New Jersey, with 60% of those

occurring in individuals 25 to 44 years of age; f. Hepatitis B vaccine, which has been available since 1982, prevents hepatitis B

disease and its serious consequences; the federal Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention recommends routine vaccination of individuals zero to 18 years of age for

hepatitis B; g. As of September 2001, the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services requires

hepatitis B immunization prior to school entry for all children in the State, with

a sixth grade catch-up dose for those not already immunized; and h. Since the hepatitis B immunization requirement for school entry in the State was

recently adopted and the highest rates of hepatitis B infection in the nation and

State are occurring in individuals between 20 and 50 years of age, it is appropriate

for the State to require every high school student, and each new student enrolling

on a full-time basis in a program leading to an academic degree at an institution

of higher education in the State, to be vaccinated for hepatitis B.