Hepatitis B

Hepatitis B is a type of liver disease caused by the hepatitis B virus and is one of the most common strains of viral hepatitis.

your quick guide to this page

what is hepatitis B?: Learn what defines hepatitis B and what its general consequences are.
fast facts: Get a quick overview of hepatitis B through statistics and bite-sized facts.
symptoms: Learn about the symptoms of hepatitis B, how to recognize them, and what to do if you experience them.
lifestyle impacts: Find out how hepatitis B impacts your lifestyle.
what can I do?: Discover management and treatment strategies for hepatitis B.
additional resources: Find useful links, education, articles, recipes and more that can help with hepatitis B.

what is hepatitis B?

The hepatitis B virus attacks the liver and is found in the blood, semen, and vaginal fluid of an infected person and spread through contact of these fluids (i.e. sexual or blood contact). The first 6 months of a hepatitis B infection is the acute phase. If the infection lasts for more than 6 months, it is considered a chronic infection.

fast facts

Infants infected with hepatitis B have a 90-95% chance of developing a chronic infection.
Hepatitis B vaccine is 95-100% effective in preventing a chronic infection for 30 years.
WHO estimates that 254 million people were living with chronic hepatitis B infection in 2022, with 1.2 million new infections each year.
In 2022, hepatitis B resulted in an estimated 1.1 million deaths, mostly from cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (primary liver cancer).

symptoms

Hepatitis B is a “silent” disease, as individuals can have show little to no symptoms until the liver is severely damaged. Symptoms can include:

fever
nausea
joint pain
jaundice (yellowing of the whites of the eyes and skin)
dark urine
fatigue
abdominal discomfort
loss of appetite

who is most at risk?

have unprotected sex with someone who is infected or having multiple sex partners
have an STI
receiving a tattoo or piercing with unsterilized needles
born to a mother with hepatitis b
mother to child transmission is the most common way for children to be infected
using injection drugs and using contaminated injection materials
have family members and/or share a household with someone with hepatitis b
living or travelling in a region where hepatitis B is common
blood transfusion or organ transplants in countries where blood or blood products are not screened for HBV (not the case in Canada)

what can I do?

prevention

There is a vaccine to prevent hepatitis B which usually requires three doses over a six month period. Additionally, there is a vaccine that has combined protection against hepatitis A and B.

diagnosis

Blood tests can detect the hepatitis B virus in the body.

treatment

While there is no cure for hepatitis B, oral antiviral medications can be taken to manage the virus. If a mother is infected with hepatitis b during pregnancy, it can be treated with oral antiviral medications.