Current estimates suggest that there are nearly 150,000 new infections of hepatitis B annually and there are about 1.2 million people with chronic hepatitis B infection in the United States. Each year 5,000 people die due to HBV infection.
HBV is spread much like HIV, however it is easier to catch than HIV because it is over 100 times more concentrated in an infected person's blood and it can exist on surfaces outside the body. HBV is not just a sexually transmitted disease. It is a hardy virus that can exist on almost any surface for up to one month. HBV is found in blood, semen, and vaginal secretions of infected people, and low concentrations can be found in saliva.
HBV can be spread by *unprotected anal or vaginal sex.
sharing needles used for drugs, body piercing, or tattooing.
contact with open sores.
sharing toothbrushes, razors, nail clippers, or washcloths.
living in a household with a person with ongoing HBV infection.
human bites.
You do not get HBV from sneezing, coughing or holding hands.
Symptoms of HBV are * extreme tiredness.
joint pain.
loss of appetite.
nausea, vomiting.
fever.
dark colored urine.
bloated and tender belly.
yellowish tinged skin and eye.
Only about half of people who are infected with HBV get symptoms. People who are infected with HBV, whether they have symptoms or not, can spread the disease to others.
Approximately 6% of adults who are infected will carry HBV in their bodies for years or for life and remain contagious. These people are called " chronically infected- Chronically infected people usually do not have symptoms, but are at increased risk for liver failure and liver cancer and need ongoing medical care. A HBV carrier is a person who never fully recovers from HBV infection. This means that if your partner is infected with HBV can transmit the virus to you when your mucous membranes come into contact with her vaginal secretions, blood and salvia.
Vaccination against hepatitis B virus requires a series of three shots over several months to insure long-term immunity.
