Download Hepatitis B - Infection Prevention Tools

Hepatitis B
Who is at risk?
What is hepatitis B?

Infants born to infected mothers
A viral disease that causes inflammation of the liver

Persons who have unprotected sex with a person
infected with hepatitis B
Many people with hepatitis do not have any symptoms,
or they think they have the flu for several days.

IV drug users who share needles with a person
infected with hepatitis B
If they do have symptoms, the typical symptoms are:

Hemodialysis patients
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Health care workers including first responders and
students
What are the symptoms?
HEPATITIS B
loss of appetite
 fatigue
mild fever
 nausea & vomiting
dark brown urine
 general achiness
yellowish skin and eyes (jaundice)
light colored stools
How is hepatitis B spread?
Hepatitis B is very infectious. It can be spread by
people who do not know they have the disease. It is
spread:

through sexual contact via semen and blood

by sharing used needles and syringes when
injecting drugs
How long after I am infected will I become ill?
The incubation period is 4 to 26 weeks, usually 8 to 12
weeks.
How is it diagnosed?

Your doctor will do a physical examination, and
order blood tests to determine the type of hepatitis
you have. The physician will also need to determine
if the hepatitis is caused by alcohol or
drugs/medicines you are taking, or other viruses.
How long does the disease last?

by tattooing needles and body piercing instruments,
if not correctly sterilized
Symptoms usually last several weeks. It usually takes 6
months for complete recovery.

by infected mothers to their babies. During
prenatal care a test will be done to determine if you
have the disease or are a carrier.
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by sharing toothbrushes and razors with an infected
person
If you have not completely cleared the virus from your
blood within 6 months, you are considered chronically
infected and are a hepatitis B carrier. This occurs in
about 5-10% of adults and 25-90% of children under
age five. Usually there are no signs or symptoms of
chronic infection, but the disease can be passed on to
other people as above.

by contact with the blood of an infected person
What is the treatment for hepatitis B?

Rest, a healthy diet, avoiding alcohol and certain drugs
for at least 6 months are all part of recovery from
Hepatitis B. Ask your doctor about current medications.
Sexual partners and household members of chronic
hepatitis B carriers should be vaccinated against
hepatitis B

Always tell your health care providers that you
have hepatitis B. If you are a carrier, always share
this information with sexual partners, paramedics,
physicians, and other health care providers.
There is no medication to take that will treat Hepatitis
B. For chronic Hepatitis B, a drug called Interferon
helps about 50% of those treated.
What type of follow-up care do I need?
How can I keep from getting hepatitis B?

Get hepatitis B vaccine (a series of 3 injections
over 6 months)

Practice safe sex - use a condom

Clean up blood spills completely. After the spill is
removed, disinfect with a 1 to 10 dilution of bleach
or other disinfectant, using gloves

Do not share toothbrushes and razors

Do not have tattoos or body piercing or use
injection drugs

Your physician will do follow-up blood work to
determine if the virus has cleared from your blood.
If you are a carrier, you should discuss monitoring
and treatment options with your physician.
Where can I get more information?
If I have hepatitis B, how can I keep from spreading
it?

Practice safe sex

Do not share injection drug needles, razor blades or
electric razors, or toothbrushes
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If you get any of your blood on anything, clean it
up using a dilute solution of bleach or a
disinfectant.

Do not donate blood.
Hepatitis Foundation International
30 Sunrise Terrace, Cedar Grove, New Jersey 07009
800-891-0707
714-654-4250 American Liver Foundation
http://www.liverfoundation.org/
Pompton Ave., Cedar Grove, NJ 07009
GOLIVER (465-4837)
1425
800-
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
888-443-7232
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hepatitis/hepatitis.
htm
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