Statistics

• In the United States, in 2001, there were nearly 8,000 reported acute cases of hepatitis B.
• Many more people had hepatitis B and did not know it. It is estimated that there were 22,000 acute cases of hepatitis B nationally.
• Nearly 5% of the United States population has been infected with hepatitis B. More than 1 million people in the United States have chronic hepatitis B.
• In different parts of the world, the prevalence of hepatitis B is much greater than in the United States. It is estimated that the highest prevalence of hepatitis B is in Africa and Asia, ranging as high as 20% of the population.

Who can become infected with hepatitis B?

• Hepatitis can affect anyone
• Some individuals are at greater risk for hepatitis B
• Persons with more than one sex partner
• Persons with a diagnosis of a sexually transmitted disease
• Men who have sex with men
• Sex contacts of infected persons
• IV drug users
• Household contacts of chronically infected persons
• Persons who come from or are frequent travelers to countries where hepatitis B is endemic.

How does one become infected with hepatitis B?

• Hepatitis B is transmitted through blood or bodily fluids. For example, a person can get infected by:
  
  • Sharing needles with someone infected with hepatitis B,
  • Being pricked with a needle or other exposures at work,
  • An infected mother during birth

What are the symptoms of hepatitis B?

• Many people do not have any signs or symptoms of hepatitis B
• The most common signs and symptoms of hepatitis B are:
  
• Jaundice (yellow discoloration of the skin and eyes)
• Fatigue
• Abdominal (stomach) pain
• Loss of appetite
• Nausea, vomiting
• Joint Pain