What is Hepatitis B?
Hepatitis B is a vaccine-preventable liver infection that is caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). Hepatitis B can range from a mild, short-term, acute illness to a serious, long-term, chronic infection. HBV can lead to serious liver damage and spreads through contact with infected blood, semen or other body fluids. You can get exposed through breaks in the skin or through the moist linings of the eyes, nose, mouth and genitalia. After HBV enters the bloodstream, it invades and damages liver cells. Inflammation and scarring of the liver interferes with the liver’s ability to function properly.
HBV is a hardy virus that can survive on environmental surfaces for seven days. Microscopic particles of dried blood could be living on shared household items such as nail clippers, tooth brushes, metal nail files, pierced body jewelry and other sharp items. Many individuals with HBV have no symptoms and about 50% don’t even realize they're infected, even though they can still spread the virus. Without treatment, chronic infection can lead to liver damage, cirrhosis or cancer.