How do you get hepatitis B or C?

A person may acquire either infection by sharing needles or injection equipment, or through a tattoo, piercing, or medical procedure involving equipment that was not properly sterilised. Blood entering a cut or puncture can transmit infection. Sharing a razor or toothbrush may also expose someone to blood.

Hepatitis B can pass during sex and from an infected parent to a baby around birth. Hepatitis C is mainly acquired through blood exposure. Neither virus is normally acquired by holding hands, hugging, coughing, or sharing cooked food.

Write down when and how the exposure happened and arrange medical advice. Testing may be needed even if you feel well, because hepatitis can remain unnoticed. Avoid donating blood and do not share razors, toothbrushes, or needles while you wait for advice. Ask whether hepatitis B vaccination is suitable; it does not protect against hepatitis C. A liver function test may be part of the assessment.

Seek prompt care after a needlestick, shared injection equipment, or possible sexual or birth-related exposure to hepatitis B. Urgent help is needed for confusion, vomiting blood, black stools, marked abdominal swelling, or rapidly worsening jaundice. New dark urine, persistent fatigue, or nausea should also be checked.

Ask which tests fit the timing of your exposure, whether repeat testing is needed, whether a partner or household member should be tested, and whether hepatitis B vaccination can help.