Globally, HBV is the most common blood-borne infection with an estimated million people infected according to the World Health Organization. In the United States, rates of new HBV infections are highest among adults aged years, reflecting low hepatitis B vaccination coverage among adults at risk.
The most common risk factor among people with new HBV infections is injecting drugs, related to the opioid crisis. The highest rates of chronic hepatitis B infection in the United States occur among foreign-born individuals, especially people born in Asia, the Pacific Islands, and Africa. Other groups who have higher rates of chronic HBV infection include people who inject drugs and men who have sex with men.
All people with HIV are recommended to be tested for HBV, and if susceptible, are further recommended to receive the hepatitis B vaccination or, if chronically infected, evaluated for treatment to prevent liver disease and liver cancer. Hepatitis B is spread in several distinct ways: sexual contact; sharing needles, syringes, or other drug-injection equipment; or from mother-to-child at birth. In the United States, in , injection drug use was the most common risk factor reported among people with an acute HBV infection, followed by having multiple sex partners.
Less commonly reported risk factors included accidental needle sticks, surgery, transfusions, and household contact with a person with HBV infection. Mother-to-child transmission of HBV is especially concerning, because it is preventable. An estimated 25, infants are born to mothers diagnosed with HBV each year in the United States, and approximately 1, mothers transmit HBV to their infants. For this reason, the standard of care for pregnant women includes an HBV test during each pregnancy so that the appropriate steps can be taken to prevent HBV-positive mothers from transmitting the disease to her infant.
Globally, mother-to-child transmission and inadequate infection control in health care settings represent significant modes of viral hepatitis transmission. Hepatitis B is a vaccine-preventable disease. The hepatitis B vaccine is safe and effective. In children, three doses are required to complete the vaccine series. A newly approved hepatitis B vaccine for adults requires only two doses given over 30 days, which increases protection among adults more rapidly with fewer medical visits.
There is also a combination vaccine that protects people from both hepatitis A and hepatitis B. The combined vaccine is usually given as 3 shots over a 6-month period. These tools may support increased vaccination in settings such as jails, prisons, and substance use disorder prevention and treatment programs. Immunization programs for infants and adolescents that started in have resulted in substantial declines in the incidence of HBV infection in young people.
Find out if you should get the hepatitis B vaccine. You can't get hepatitis B from the vaccine. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version.
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Sorry something went wrong with your subscription Please, try again in a couple of minutes Retry. Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. Share on: Facebook Twitter. Show references Lok AS. Hepatitis B virus: Clinical manifestations and natural history. Accessed Aug.
Lok AS. Hepatitis B virus: Screening and diagnosis. Mantzoukis K, et al. Pharmacological interventions for acute hepatitis B infection. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Hepatitis B FAQs for the public. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to the U. Even with a history of hepatitis B, you may be able to donate your organs or tissues. The transplant team will determine what organs or tissue can be used based on a clinical evaluation, medical history, and other factors.
CDC has recently published information about how to assess solid organ donors and monitor transplant recipients for hepatitis B infection pdf icon. The best way to prevent hepatitis B is by getting vaccinated. The hepatitis B vaccine is safe and effective.
Completing the series of shots 2, 3, or 4 doses, depending on the manufacturer is needed to be fully protected. Only people visiting countries where hepatitis B is common should get the hepatitis B vaccine before travel. The hepatitis B vaccine is safe, and soreness at the injection site is the most common side effect.
As with any medicine, there are very small risks that a serious problem could occur after getting the vaccine. The safety of vaccines is always being monitored.
If the hepatitis B vaccine series is interrupted, the next dose should be given as soon as possible. The first dose s does not need to be repeated. Anyone who has had a serious allergic reaction to a prior dose of hepatitis B vaccine, any part of the vaccine, or yeast should not get the hepatitis B vaccine.
Most healthy people do not need a booster dose, but a blood test can be performed to check your immunity and decide if a booster dose of vaccine is necessary. Yes, there is a combination vaccine approved for adults that protects people from both hepatitis A and hepatitis B. The combined hepatitis A and B vaccine is usually given as three separate doses over a 6-month period. Getting two different vaccines at the same time is not harmful. Talk to your health-care provider or local health department about getting vaccinated.
Some clinics offer free or low-cost hepatitis B vaccines. Most children younger than 5 and people with serious health problems like having compromised immune systems have no symptoms. Up to half of all older children, adolescents, and adults experience symptoms of acute hepatitis B. If symptoms occur, they begin an average of 90 days or 3 months after exposure to the virus, but they can appear any time between 8 weeks and 5 months after exposure. They usually last several weeks, but some people can feel sick for as long as 6 months.
Many people with hepatitis B have no symptoms, but they can still spread the virus to others. Most people with chronic hepatitis B do not have any symptoms, do not feel ill, and remain symptom free for decades.
When and if symptoms do appear, they are similar to the symptoms of acute infection , but can be a sign of advanced liver disease. Some people still do not have symptoms even after their liver becomes diseased, although certain blood tests for liver function might show some abnormalities. Chronic hepatitis B can develop into a serious disease resulting in long-term health problems, including liver damage, liver failure, liver cancer, and even death.
There were 1, deaths related to hepatitis B virus reported to CDC in , but this is an underestimate. Talk to your health-care provider if you have risk factors for or think you might have hepatitis B.
Since many people with hepatitis B do not have symptoms, blood tests are used to diagnose the infection.
Several different hepatitis B tests are available. Depending on the test, they can determine whether you. Certain tests can even determine how likely it is that someone who is infected with hepatitis B will transmit it to others. Ask your health-care provider to explain what tests were ordered, when you can expect to get the results, and what those results mean. If test results show that you are infected with the hepatitis B virus, you should consult a health-care provider that is experienced in caring for people with hepatitis B.
This can be an internist or family medicine practitioner, or it may be someone who specializes in treating people with infectious, digestive, or liver diseases.
There is no medication available to treat acute hepatitis B. For people with mild symptoms, health-care providers usually recommend rest, adequate nutrition, and fluids. Those with more severe symptoms may need to be hospitalized.
Several medications have been approved to treat people who have chronic hepatitis B, and new drugs are in development. However, not every person with chronic hepatitis B needs medication, and the drugs may cause side effects in some patients.
People who start hepatitis B treatment may need to take medication indefinitely because these medications do not lead to a cure. People with chronic hepatitis B should be under the care of a health-care provider that is knowledgeable about this illness like an internist or provider that specializes in treating people with infectious, digestive, or liver diseases and is able to regularly monitor their liver function.
People recently diagnosed with hepatitis B should. When a pregnant woman comes in for prenatal care, she is given a series of routine blood tests, including one that checks for hepatitis B virus infection. Almost all cases of hepatitis B can be prevented in babies born to infected mothers, but these newborns must receive the necessary shots at the recommended times. The combination of hepatitis B immune globulin known as HBIG and hepatitis B vaccine can be given to infants born to infected mothers within 12 hours of birth to protect them from infection.
Nearly all newborns who become infected with the hepatitis B virus develop lifelong hepatitis B. This can eventually lead to serious health problems, including liver damage, liver cancer, and even death.
Hepatitis B vaccination is recommended for all babies to protect them from this serious but preventable disease. Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link. Viral Hepatitis. Section Navigation. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate. Hepatitis B Questions and Answers for the Public. Minus Related Pages. Index of Questions Hepatitis B Overview.
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