Posted by
vijesh kumar
Thursday, August 6, 2009
- The hepatitis B virus is known as a blood-borne virus because it is transmitted from one person to another via blood.
- Semen and saliva, which contain small amounts of blood, also carry the virus.
- The virus can be transmitted whenever any of these bodily fluids come in contact with the broken skin or a mucous membrane (in the mouth, genital organs, or rectum) of an uninfected person.
- People who are at increased risk of being infected with the hepatitis B virus include the following:
- Men or women who have multiple sex partners, especially if they don't use a condom
- Men who have sex with men
- Men or women who have sex with a person infected with HBV
- People with other sexually transmitted diseases
- People who inject drugs with shared needles
- People who receive transfusions of blood or blood products
- People who undergo dialysis for kidney disease
- Institutionalized mentally handicapped people and their attendants and family members
- Health care workers who are stuck with needles or other sharp instruments contaminated with infected blood
- Infants born to infected mothers
- In some cases, the source of transmission is never known.
- The younger you are when you become infected with the hepatitis B virus, the more likely you are to develop chronic hepatitis B. The rates of progression to chronic hepatitis B are as follows:
- 90% of infants infected at birth
- 30% of children infected at age 1-5 years
- 6% of people infected after age 5 years
- 5-10% of infected adults
- You cannot get hepatitis B from the following activities:
- Being sneezed or coughed on
- Hugging
- Handshaking
- Breastfeeding
- Eating food or drinking water
- Casual contact (such as an office or social setting)
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