Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Hepatitis B is a potentially life-threatening disease that affects the liver and is caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV).1
Hepatitis B can be transmitted through the blood or other bodily fluids of a contaminated person to a noncontaminated person. This happens through sexual contact with an infected person, sharing of drugs or needles, percutaneous (through the skin) exposures, tattooing and body piercing in an unsanitary environment, unsafe injections in medical environments in developing countries, needlesticks or sharps if you work in a medical environment, and, if a mother is infected, she can pass HPV to her child.1
The symptoms patients may encounter if exposed to hepatitis B are fever, fatigue, nausea, loss of appetite, joint or abdominal pain, vomiting, dark urine, light-colored stool, and yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes. About one-third to half of people with acute hepatitis B will show symptoms, but children—especially those <5 years of age—will not necessarily show any symptoms of hepatitis B.1
Hepatitis B vaccine is recommended by the CDC to prevent hepatitis B in conjunction with a hepatitis B immune globulin such as HyperHEP B S/D.1
Hepatitis B immune globulin is a treatment that contains high levels of hepatitis B antibodies. An immune globulin works much faster than a vaccine but does not last as long. Because of the potentially life-threatening nature of hepatitis B, after exposure you may decide to give your patients a hepatitis B immune globulin shot like HyperHEP B S/D and a vaccine to make sure they get the comprehensive care they need.2,3