World Children's Organization - Hepatitis B Vaccination Project

Hepatitis B Virus Fact Sheet

Information	Hepatitis B is a disease that is caused by the Hepatitis B virus, which attacks your liver cells and can cause liver inflammation, hardening, and scarring. This can lead to liver cancer and death. Hepatitis B is the 10th leading cause of death in the world Liver cancer is one of the five deadliest cancers we know of and 80% of primary liver cancer cases are caused by Hepatitis B. HBV is 50-100 times more infectious than HIV.
Vaccine	See WCO Hepatitis B Vaccine Fact Sheet
Symptoms	Over 30% of HBV-infected patients exhibit no symptoms. Those who do generally show flu-like symptoms that are easily mistaken for other diseases. fatigue fever jaundice (yellowing of skin or eyes) nausea and vomiting stomachaches abdominal pains diarrhea
Types of Infection	A person is classified as having an acute HBV infection if the infection disappears within six months. If the virus persists after that, it is called a chronic infection. “Chronic” means the hepatitis B infection will progress over a long period of time (between weeks to years to a lifetime). This type of infection gives patients a much higher risk of developing HBV-related diseases. Over 350 million people worldwide are affected by chronic hepatitis B and up to 1.25 million die annually from diseases caused by the infection. An estimated 25% of chronically infected patients will eventually die from HBV-related diseases.
Transmission	The hepatitis B virus is a blood-borne infection transmitted through several main ways: from an infected mother to her baby through contaminated needles, such as for drug injections, blood transfusions, or tattoos contact with the open wounds or blood of an HBV carrier sharing personal care items such as toothbrushes or razors unprotected sex HBV is not transferred through: kissing, hugging, or handshaking sharing food, water, utensils breast feeding coughing and sneezing casual physical contact
Risk Groups	You are at risk if you… Are a baby born to HBV-infected mothers Are a health care worker who may come in contact with the blood of infected patients Inject drugs or have received tattoos Had sex with an HBV-infected person or have had more than one sex partner in the last six months Were born in, have parents from, or have recently traveled to regions with high HBV prevalence Are immune-compromised (such as a patient with HIV) Have hemophilia Reside or work in a prison or correctional facility for developmentally disabled
Treatment	There is no known cure for hepatitis B. Acute infections are not treatable, although chronically infected patients can receive liver transplants or expensive antiviral drug regimens involving six drugs: Adefovir dipivoxil interferon alfa-2b pegylated interferon alfa-2a lamivudine entecavir telbivudinealpha-interferon If left untreated… 90% of infants infected at birth, 30% of children infected at age 1–5 years, and 6% of persons infected after age 5 years will develop chronic infections 20-30% of chronically infected patients will die of HBV-related diseases
Geographical Areas	Geographic areas with high HBV prevalence are Southeast Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, parts of South America, and Eastern Europe. Between 70% and 90% of the populations in parts of these areas have been infected by HBV before age 40 10% of the population is chronically infected The infection rates are much lower (less than 1% of the total population) in North America, Western and Northern Europe, Australia, and other developed countries.