What should you know about hepatitis B virus transmission?

Transmission can occur through sexual contact, sharing needles or other equipment that may carry blood, unsterile tattooing or piercing equipment, or contact with infected blood through a cut or needlestick. A pregnant person with hepatitis B can pass it to the baby around birth. Ordinary social contact does not spread hepatitis B: hugging, sharing food, coughing, or using the same toilet are not typical routes. Infection may have no symptoms, so a person may not know they carry it.

Use condoms until a clinician confirms protection for a partner, and never share needles, syringes, razors, toothbrushes, or equipment used for injecting or preparing drugs. Cover wounds and clean blood spills safely. Ask a clinician about [Hepatitis B Vaccination](/treatments/preventive-care-and-vaccination/hepatitis-b-vaccination/) for you and close contacts. After a possible exposure, seek medical advice promptly; testing and preventive care may be considered. A [Liver Function Test](/treatments/diagnostics-and-screening/liver-function-test/) can assess liver health but does not by itself explain how infection was acquired.

Contact a healthcare professional quickly after a needlestick, shared injecting equipment, unprotected sex with a person who may have hepatitis B, or blood contact with broken skin. Seek urgent help for confusion, severe vomiting, severe abdominal pain, or rapidly worsening yellow skin or eyes. Do not wait for symptoms after a concerning exposure.

Ask what testing is suitable, whether vaccination or other post-exposure care is needed, when to repeat testing, and how to protect partners and household members. Ask how to interpret symptoms such as [Dark Urine](/symptoms/dark-urine/) or [Fatigue](/symptoms/fatigue/).