Hepatitis B

Hepatitis B is a humorless  liver infection caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). For most people, hepatitis B is short term, also called acute, and lasts less than six months. But for others, the infection becomes chronic, meaning it lasts more than six months. Having chronic hepatitis B increases your risk of developing liver failure, liver cancer or cirrhosis — a condition that permanently scars the liver.

Most adults with hepatitis B recover completely, even if their symptoms are severe. Babies and children are more likely to develop a long-lasting hepatitis B infection. This is known as a chronic infection.

A vaccine can help prevent hepatitis B, but there is no cure if you have the condition. However, taking certain precautions can help prevent spreading the virus to others if you are infected.

Symptoms & Causes

Symptoms of acute hepatitis B range from mild to severe. They generally appear about 1 to 4 months after you’ve been infected, although you could see them as early as two weeks after you are infected. Some people, generally young children, may not have any symptoms.

Hepatitis B signs and symptoms may include:

• Abdominal pain

• Dark urine

• Fever

• Joint pain

• Loss of appetite

• Nausea and vomiting

• Weakness and fatigue

• Yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes, also called jaundice

Hepatitis B infection is caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). The virus is passed from person to person through blood, semen or other body fluids. It doesn’t spread by sneezing or coughing.

Common ways that HBV can spread are:

• Sexual contact. You may get hepatitis B if you have unprotected sex with someone who’s infected. The virus can pass to you if the person’s blood, saliva, semen or vaginal fluids enter your body.

• Sharing of needles. HBV easily spreads through needles and syringes contaminated with infected blood. Sharing IV drug paraphernalia puts you at high risk of hepatitis B.

• Accidental needle sticks. Hepatitis B is a concern for health care workers and anyone else who comes in contact with human blood.

• Mother to child. Pregnant women infected with HBV can pass the virus to their babies during childbirth. However, the infant can be vaccinated to avoid getting infected in nearly all cases. Talk to your provider about being tested for hepatitis B if you’re pregnant or want to become pregnant.

Which Regions Need Hepatitis B Vaccine

Hepatitis B is caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV), and is spread by contact with body fluids such as blood, saliva, semen, or vaginal fluids; by needle sticks or sharing needles; or from mother to child.

Hepatitis A and hepatitis B combination vaccine is recommended for all persons 18 years of age or older who are at risk from infection from their jobs or certain activities, or from traveling to the following parts of the world:

• Africa

• Central and South America

• Eastern and Southern Europe

• South and Southeast Asia (except Japan)

• The Caribbean

• The Middle East

• The former Soviet Union

Why Get Vaccinated?

Hepatitis B vaccine can help prevent hepatitis B. Hepatitis B is a liver disease that can cause mild illness lasting a few weeks, or it can lead to a serious, lifelong illness.

• Acute hepatitis B is a short-term illness that can lead to fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, jaundice (yellow skin or eyes, dark urine, clay-colored stools), and pain in the muscles, joints, and stomach.

• Chronic hepatitis B is a long-term illness that occurs when the hepatitis B virus remains in a person’s body. Most people who develop chronic hepatitis B don’t have symptoms, but it’s still very serious and can lead to liver damage (cirrhosis), liver cancer, and death. Chronically infected people can spread hepatitis B virus to others, even if they don’t feel or look sick themselves.

Hepatitis B is spread when blood, semen, or other body fluid infected with the hepatitis B virus enters the body of a person who isn’t infected.

People can become infected through:

• Birth (if a pregnant person has hepatitis B, their baby can become infected)

• Sharing items such as razors or toothbrushes with an infected person

• Contact with the blood or open sores of an infected person

• Sex with an infected partner

• Sharing needles, syringes, or other drug-injection equipment

• Exposure to blood from syringe sticks or sharp instruments

Most people who are vaccinated with hepatitis B vaccine are protected for life.

Hepatitis B Vaccine

• Hepatitis B vaccine is generally given as 2, 3, or 4 shots.

• Babies should get their first dose of hepatitis B vaccine at birth and will generally complete the series at 6–18 months of age. The birth dose is an important part of preventing long-term illness in babies and the spread of hepatitis B in the United States.

• Anyone 59 years of age or younger who has not yet gotten the vaccine should be vaccinated.

• Hepatitis B vaccination is recommended for adults 60 years or older at increased risk of exposure to hepatitis B who weren’t vaccinated previously. Adults 60 years or older who aren’t at increased risk may also be vaccinated.

• Hepatitis B vaccine may be given as a stand-alone vaccine, or as part of a combination vaccine.

• Hepatitis B vaccine may be given at the same time as different vaccines.

Acute vs. Chronic Hepatitis B

• Acute hepatitis B infection lasts less than six months. Your immune system usually can clear acute hepatitis B from your body, and you should recover fully within a few months. Most people who get hepatitis B as adults have an acute infection, but it can sometimes lead to chronic infection.

• Chronic hepatitis B infection lasts six months or longer. It lingers because your immune system cannot fight off the infection. Chronic hepatitis B infection may last a lifetime, possibly leading to serious illnesses such as cirrhosis and liver cancer.

The younger you are when you get hepatitis B — particularly babies or children younger than 5 — the higher your risk of the infection becoming chronic.

Talk with Your Health Care Provider

Tell your vaccination provider if the person getting the vaccine:

• Has had an allergic reaction after a previous dose of hepatitis B vaccine, or has any severe, life-threatening allergies.

• Is very ill at the time (your provider may recommend delaying vaccination until recovery).

• Is pregnant or breastfeeding — vaccination is still recommended in these cases.

Risk Factors

Hepatitis B spreads through contact with blood, semen or other body fluids from an infected person. Your risk of hepatitis B infection increases if you:

• Have unprotected sex with multiple partners or with someone infected with HBV

• Share needles during IV drug use

• Are a man who has sex with men

• Live with someone who has chronic HBV infection

• Are a child born to an infected mother

• Have a job that exposes you to human blood

• Travel to regions with high infection rates (Asia, Africa, Pacific Islands, Eastern Europe)

Hepatitis B Vaccine Safety and Side Effects

More than 1 billion doses of the hepatitis B vaccine have been given worldwide and it’s considered one of the safest and most effective vaccines ever made.

Common side effects may include:

• Soreness, swelling and redness at the injection site

No evidence has been found that the hepatitis B vaccine causes autism, multiple sclerosis, or other neurological diseases.

Complications

Chronic hepatitis B infection can lead to serious complications such as:

• Cirrhosis (scarring of the liver)

• Liver cancer

• Liver failure

• Reactivation of HBV in immunosuppressed individuals

• Kidney disease or blood vessel inflammation

Prevention:

The hepatitis B vaccine is generally given as two injections separated by a month or three or four injections over six months, depending on which vaccine is given. You cannot get hepatitis B from the vaccine. The hepatitis B vaccine is recommended by the United States Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices for grown-ups 19 to 59 times of age who don’t have a contraindication to the vaccine.

The hepatitis B vaccine is also explosively recommended for:

• Babe.
• Children and adolescents not vaccinated at birth.
• Those who work or live in a center for people who are developmentally impaired.
• People who reside with someone who has hepatitis B.
• Health carefulness workers, emergency workers and dissimilar people who approach into connection with blood.
• Anyone who has a sexually transmitted infection, including HIV.
• Men who have coitus with men.
• People who have multiple sexual mates.
• Sexual mates of someone who has hepatitis B.
• People who fit illegal medicines or share needles and hypes.
• People with habitual liver complaint.
• People with end-stage order complaint.
• Trippers planning to go to an area of the world with a high hepatitis B infection rate.

Take precautions to avoid HBV:

Other ways to reduce your threat of HBV include:

• Know the HBV status of any sexual mate. Do not engage in vulnerable coitus unless you are absolutely certain your mate is not infected with HBV or any other sexually transmitted infection.
• Use a new latex or polyurethane condom every time you have coitus if you do not know the health status of your mate. Flash back that although condoms can reduce your threat of constricting HBV, they do not exclude the threat.
• Do not use illegal drugs. Though, get support to quit, if you utilize lawless medicines. However, use a sterile needle each time you fit lawless medicines, if you cannot stop. No way partake needles.
• Be conservative about body piercing and tattooing. However, look for an estimable shop, if you get a piercing or tattoo. Ask about how the outfit is gutted. Make sure the workers use sterile needles. However, look for another shop, if you cannot get answers.
• Question about the hepatitis B vaccine before you travel. However, ask your provider about the hepatitis B vaccine in advance, if you are traveling to a region where hepatitis B is common. It’s generally presented in a series of three injections over a six-month period.

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