The hepatitis B virus is spread through blood, semen, and vaginal fluid. You can get hepatitis B if you have sex with an infected person, or if you share needles or works to inject drugs with someone who is infected.

As with hepatitis A, hepatitis B can make you feel sick for a short time. After that, most people with hepatitis B get rid of the virus. A small number (2% to 6%) of people who get hepatitis B infection fail to get rid of it, and go on to have chronic infection. This often leads to liver damage over time.

Once you have come into contact with hepatitis B, and the virus is no longer active in your body, you cannot become infected with it again.

There is a vaccine to prevent hepatitis B. People with a chronic liver disease should receive the vaccine to be protected from hepatitis B, unless they are already immune (determined by blood tests).

It is important that people with chronic liver disease who are not immune to hepatitis B receive the vaccine to protect themselves from it, since they can get quite sick if they contract the infection.

For much more information, please visit our Hepatitis B Center.