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Hepatitis B

Summary

  • Hepatitis B is the most common liver virus in the world.
  • You can protect yourself against hepatitis B with a vaccine. The vaccine is safe and works well.
  • Some people need medicine to manage chronic hepatitis B.
  • You can live well with chronic hepatitis B.

 

Hepatitis B is a virus that causes damage to your liver. It can be chronic. For hepatitis B this means you will have it for your whole life.

How do you get hepatitis B?

The most common time people get hepatitis B is early in life. Babies can get hepatitis B from their birth parent. This can happen at birth, and is sometimes called mother-to-child transmission or vertical transmission.

There are ways to stop hepatitis B from being passed on from mother to child. When the baby is born, they should get two injections. It is best if your baby has these 12 hours after they are born.

One injection contains immunoglobulin (HBIG). This vaccine is only given to babies whose mothers have hepatitis B. This injection has antibodies that help the body fight the virus. It provides very quick, short-term protection.

The other injection is baby’s first hepatitis B vaccine. This is called the Birth Dose vaccine. All babies get this vaccine, even if their mother doesn’t have hepatitis B. They'll also get 3 more hepatitis B vaccines over the next 6 months. Together this can protect the baby against the virus.

Some women have a high level of the virus in their body while they are pregnant. This means they are more likely to pass it on to their baby. You can take a test for this. If you have a high level of hepatitis B (sometimes called viral load), your doctor can give you medicine (also called antiviral therapy). The medicine will make it less likely that you pass the virus onto your baby. It is safe to take while you are pregnant.

This map shows places where more people are living with hepatitis B. If you were born in one of the countries shaded in orange, you should get tested for hepatitis B.

map showing countries with higher hepatitis b prevalence

Some other ways you can get hepatitis B are:

  • sharing needles, syringes or other injecting equipment, including spoons
  • having vaginal, anal or oral sex without a condom
  • tattooing or body piercing with unsterile equipment
  • medical procedures with unsterile equipment
  • sharing toothbrushes, razors or nail files
  • having cuts or sores that are uncovered. 

You cannot get hepatitis B through:

  • hugging or kissing
  • sharing food and eating utensils
  • eating food made by someone with hepatitis B
  • insect or animal bites, including mosquitoes
  • sharing bathrooms, showers or toilets
  • sneezing or coughing. 

 

What happens if you get hepatitis B?

If you get hepatitis B, you could get an acute or chronic illness.

  1. Acute hepatitis B means the virus might make you sick for a short time (less than 6 months) but then you get better. Some people with acute hepatitis B naturally clear the virus.
  2. Chronic hepatitis B means you will have the virus for life.  You may not feel sick, but over time it could damage your liver so it does not work well. You have to wait six months to find out if your acute hepatitis B becomes chronic.

This table shows what is likely to happen when you are exposed to the hepatitis B virus. This depends on your age.

Age

(when you first come into contact with the virus)

Acute hepatitis B

Short-term infection that occurs soon after exposure

Chronic hepatitis B

The virus stays in the body for life, which can lead to long-term liver problems
Infants under one year old Most will not get any acute hepatitis B symptons Around 90% will develop chronic hepatitis B not given hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG) and vaccination at birth.
Children aged 1 to 6 years old Most will not get any acute hepatitis B signs Around 30% will develop chronic hepatitis B if not vaccinated
Older children and adults (over 6 years) Many will get acute hepatitis B signs Fewer than 5% will get chronic hepatitis B if not vaccinated

 
If you have chronic hepatitis B, it is very important that you see your doctor every 6 to 12 months. The doctor will check the health of your liver.

Some people need to take medicine for hepatitis B to manage the virus.

If you don’t have hepatitis B, you can get a course of vaccines from your doctor. This will protect you against it in the future.

To find out if you have hepatitis B, you will need a blood test.

You can contact HepLink to find out more about getting tested for hepatitis B or ask your doctor for a test.
 


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