The vaccine against hepatitis B virus (HBV) has been widely used for the past 20 years and has demonstrated its capacity to reduce the incidence of both HBV infections and their serious complications, hepatocellular carcinoma, in particular. Vaccination schedules and targets have been well identified. Appropriate vaccination practices in France should prevent the onset of 3 cases of fulminant hepatitis, 150 of chronic HBV carriage, and 30-50 of hepatocellular carcinoma each year. Epidemiologic studies show the absence of severe complications associated with this vaccination, and a recent consensus conference recommended the wide-scale vaccination of newborns and persons at risk. It also recommended measures providing information to the general public, to respond to the many questions raised by use of this vaccine. This vaccination requires a joint effort by the health authorities, actors involved in public health, and general practitioners. It remains a medical act whose benefits must be assessed at an individual level.