Since 1986, a hepatitis B vaccine has been available and should be given to newborns and children in the United States. The vaccine, however, is unavailable—or has only recently become available—in many parts of the world. You are at higher risk for hepatitis B if you or your mother was born in a region of the world where hepatitis B is common, meaning 2 percent or more of the population is chronically infected with the hepatitis B virus. In most Asian and Pacific Island nations, 8 to 16 percent of the population is chronically infected.
via NATIONAL DIGESTIVE DISEASES INFORMATION CLEARINGHOUSE (NDDIC)