What should you know about causative agent of hepatitis b?

Hepatitis B virus can spread through blood, sexual contact, or from an infected mother to her baby around birth. Shared needles or equipment and unsterile instruments can also carry infected blood. A person may have no symptoms, while others develop fatigue, nausea, yellowing of the skin or eyes, or dark urine. Symptoms do not show how long the virus has been present, so testing is needed to distinguish a recent infection from a long-standing one.

Arrange a medical assessment if exposure is possible or symptoms suggest liver inflammation. Blood tests can look for hepatitis B markers and assess how the liver is working; a Liver Function Test may be included. Avoid sharing razors, toothbrushes, needles, or anything that may carry blood, and use barrier protection during sex until a clinician explains the situation. Household and sexual contacts should ask about testing and Hepatitis B Vaccination.

Seek urgent care for confusion, severe drowsiness, vomiting that prevents drinking, severe abdominal swelling or pain, bleeding, or rapidly worsening yellow skin or eyes. Contact a clinician promptly after a significant blood or sexual exposure because preventive treatment may be time-sensitive. Do not wait for fatigue or dark urine to appear before arranging testing.

Ask which blood tests are needed, whether the infection appears recent or long-standing, how to protect partners and household members, whether vaccination is appropriate for contacts, and how often liver health should be reviewed. Share the date and type of any possible exposure.