Hepatitis B
Hepatitis B is a disease affecting the liver that can be mild or severe and can last for weeks or many years. Some people with Hepatitis B have no symptoms; others have severe illness that can cause death. An estimated 15% - 25% of carriers of Hepatitis B will die early of either liver disease or liver cancer.
Some people with hepatitis B will become chronic carriers of the virus which may mean that they will remain infectious for life. This means that they can pass it to other people without knowing they are infectious.
Symptoms
In the early stage of infection, symptoms may include loss of appetite, slight pains in the tummy, nausea, vomiting, jaundice (yellowing of whites of eyes and skin), rash, joint pain and mild fever. About one third of people develop a mild flu-like illness. The remaining third have no symptoms at all in the initial phase of the illness.
How do you get it?
The virus is spread through:
- contact with infected blood and/or other body fluids (eg. semen, vaginal fluid) – even if fluid comes in contact with a small cut, sore or abrasion, the risk is high
- sharing of drug needles or tattoo/body piercing tools
- unsafe sex, or
- a human bite.
If a pregnant mother is infected with Hepatitis B, a baby can get the virus through contact with the mother's blood during childbirth.
What’s the treatment?
If you have Hepatitis B, discuss treatment options with your doctor.
There is a vaccine to prevent Hepatitis B infections. You need three needles over six months to provide long-term protection against the virus. People who are at high risk of the virus, such as injecting drug users, should be tested and vaccinated for Hepatitis B. The vaccine is free in some health centres.
What to do
For advice, see your local doctor, family planning clinic or sexual health clinic.
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