Could I Have Hepatitis B?

Determine Your Risk of Having the Hepatitis B Virus

There are approximately two billion people in the world that are infected with the hepatitis B virus, of which some 350 million people have chronic hepatitis B.1 Your risk level depends partly on where in the world you live. In some areas of Africa, Asia and the pacific, eight to ten percent of the population may be chronically infected.1 The highest number of hepatitis B cases are found in people aged 20-49.2

The virus spreads from person to person through blood and body fluids, but preventing hepatitis B is possible. In this section of the Web site, read about the causes of hepatitis B. If you think that you have been exposed to the hepatitis B virus, it is important to visit your healthcare provider and get a hepatitis B blood test. See our list of common hepatitis B symptoms and learn what’s involved in a hepatitis B blood test.

A Hepatitis B vaccine is a way to prevent hepatitis B, but if you have already been exposed to the virus and are infected, the vaccine will have no effect.

References

1 World Health Organization, http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs204/en/, accessed 8 April 2009
2 Center for Disease Control, http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hepatitis/b/fact.htm accessed 8 April 2009