Hepatitis B

• Hepatitis B is a virus that attacks the liver. When left untreated, hepatitis B can lead to serious health problems such as liver failure, liver cancer and early death.
• Most adults who get hepatitis B can recover from it on their own, but this is less likely for babies and children.
• The good news is that with care, people with hepatitis B can live long and healthy lives!
• Hepatitis B is passed when the virus in bodily fluids such as blood, semen or vaginal fluid from a person with hepatitis B enters another person’s body.
• Getting vaccinated for hepatitis B is one of the best ways to prevent getting hepatitis B. There are many other effective ways to prevent getting or passing hepatitis B.
• The only way to know if you have hepatitis B is to get tested.

Read on for answers to common questions about hepatitis B.

Hepatitis B is a virus that attacks the liver, an organ that performs many important functions for the body. The liver is essential to good health.

Most adults who get hepatitis B can recover from it on their own without needing treatment. Babies and children are less likely to recover on their own. Once someone has recovered from hepatitis B, they are immune, meaning they can never get it again.

For those who do not recover, the virus stays in the body for a long time. This can injure the liver over time and lead to serious health problems like liver failure, liver cancer and early death. The good news is that with proper care, people with hepatitis B can live long and healthy lives.

Hepatitis B is passed when the virus in bodily fluids such as blood, semen or vaginal fluid from a person with hepatitis B enters another person’s body.

In countries where hepatitis B is more common, the virus is commonly passed from a parent to a child during childbirth or between household members through direct contact with bodily fluids that contain the virus (e.g., sharing personal care items like razors, nail clippers and toothbrushes). In these countries, hepatitis B is also commonly passed because of poor safety measures in healthcare practices. These include:

• through the receipt of donated blood or tissue in countries where the blood supply is not tested adequately for hepatitis B
• through the reuse of medical, dental or surgical equipment in countries where this equipment is not properly sterilized
• through traditional healing practices that cut or pierce the skin, if equipment is reused or not sterilized (examples include wet cupping and acupuncture)

In Canada, hepatitis B is more commonly passed through condomless sex and through sharing drug use equipment, especially injection drug use equipment. Hepatitis B may also be passed from parent to child during childbirth, between household members through direct contact with blood or other bodily fluids (e.g., sharing personal care items like razors, nail clippers and toothbrushes), or through reusing unsterilized tattooing or body piercing equipment.

Hepatitis B is no longer passed through donated blood or tissue in Canada. Canada started testing donated blood and tissue for hepatitis B in 1972.

Hepatitis B is not passed by hugging, touching or kissing or by sharing utensils with someone who has the virus.

There are many ways to prevent hepatitis B:

• Get vaccinated for hepatitis B.
• If you inject drugs, avoid sharing by using new equipment every time you inject.
• If you smoke or snort drugs, avoid sharing by using your own equipment every time you smoke or snort.
• Use condoms the right way each time you have sex.
• Get tested for hepatitis B during pregnancy. If you have hepatitis B, take effective treatment throughout your pregnancy and ensure your baby receives proper care, including a vaccine at birth, to reduce the risk of passing hepatitis B to your baby.
• If you receive medical, dental or surgical treatment outside Canada, try to ensure that the equipment either is new or has been properly sterilized.
• If you receive donated blood or tissue outside of Canada, try to confirm that it has been screened for common blood-borne infections.
• If you may have recently been exposed to hepatitis B, seek medical care to access PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis). Ideally, you should start PEP for hepatitis B within 48 hours of exposure.

Most people who have hepatitis B do not have any symptoms for many years, even though the virus is active and injuring their liver. You can have hepatitis B and not know it. There is no mandatory hepatitis B testing when people apply for permanent residency in Canada.

The only way to know if you have hepatitis B is to get tested.

Ask a healthcare provider for a hepatitis B test. You may want to also get tested for other infections at the same time, like gonorrhea, chlamydia, hepatitis C, HIV and syphilis.

There is no cure for hepatitis B, but most adults who get it recover from it on their own without needing treatment.

However, some people — especially those who get it when they are young — develop chronic hepatitis B. For those who develop a chronic infection, hepatitis B treatment is available to keep the virus under control. With proper care, people with hepatitis B can live long and healthy lives.

If you have hepatitis B, speak to a healthcare provider about your treatment options.

Hepatitis B can be passed from a parent to their child during childbirth or during childhood. Babies and children are more likely to develop chronic hepatitis B infections, which can lead to serious liver-related complications and death. Treating the pregnant parent during pregnancy and making sure the baby receives proper care, including a vaccine at birth, can greatly reduce the risk of passing on hepatitis B. There is no risk of passing hepatitis B through breastfeeding/chestfeeding if the baby has been vaccinated and receives proper care.

If you are pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant, get tested for hepatitis B. If you test positive, talk with your doctor about options to reduce the risk of passing hepatitis B to your baby.

• Speak to a healthcare provider about hepatitis B testing or to receive care for hepatitis B.
• Find hepatitis B services in your area at https://whereto.catie.ca.