Hepatitis B

What is it?
A liver infection that can become chronic. It is caused by a virus that enters the body and attacks the liver.

How you get it
Contact with a person infected with the hepatitis B virus (HBV). This can occur through having sex with an infected person, from an infected mother to her baby during childbirth, or through sharing needles with an infected person.

How you know you have it?
The liver swells, and liver damage can occur. Most people will get rid of the virus after a few months. Some people are not able to get rid of the virus, which makes the infection chronic, or life-long. This may lead to a scarring of the liver, called cirrhosis, liver failure, and can also lead to liver cancer.

How to test for it ?
Blood tests are available to detect the presence of antibodies against the virus and what stage of Hepatitis B one has.

How to treat it?
Acute hepatitis B usually gets better on its own. Most people develop immunity to the virus and after recovery, cannot pass it on to others. Someone with chronic (long-term) hepatitis B can carry the virus and pass it to others. Chronic hepatitis B can be treated with the drugs interferon, lamivudine, or adefovir. These drugs do not work for everyone.

What it can do to you?
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