There are several viruses that can cause hepatitis. Each virus is known by a letter in the alphabet, such as ‘Hepatitis B’. All of the viruses cause similar problems in the body, but they are spread in different ways.
Symptoms of Hepatitis B
Some people have no symptoms at all, but for others the symptoms may include:
- Loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting
- Pain in the liver – this is felt under the right hand side of the ribcage
- Fever
- Pain in the joints
- Jaundice – the urine becomes darker and the eyes and skin turn yellow
- Tiredness
Transmission
Hepatitis B can be transferred by Blood, Sex, or Mother to Baby.
- Blood
The Hepatitis B virus is present in the blood of an infected person. People can carry the virus in their blood for a long time and not have any symptoms. If infected blood enters another person’s bloodstream, that person may become infected. Infected blood can be passed from person to person by:
- Sharing needles, syringes and other injecting equipment.
- Sharing razor blades and toothbrushes.
- Piercing the skin with equipment (for example tattooing equipment, body piercing equipment and syringe needles), which has not been properly cleaned or sterilised.
- Infected blood coming into contact with the open cuts of an uninfected person.
- Sex
The virus can be spread if people have sexual intercourse without a condom, especially if there is blood present.
- Mother to baby
Mothers who have long-term Hepatitis B sometimes pass the virus to their children. Most infection occurs during or shortly after birth, so if the newborn baby is given Hepatitis B immune globulin and quickly immunised, he or she can be protected from the disease.
Long-term Hepatitis B
People who become infected with the Hepatitis B virus may develop a long-term infection, when this happens, the virus can stay in their body for their entire life. These people are called Hepatitis B carriers and often have no symptoms but may eventually suffer illnesses such as chronic liver disease or liver cancer. Even while they seem in good health, they can still infect other people. |
