Hepatitis B

Hepatitis B is an inflammation of the liver caused by the hepatitis B virus.

Hepatitis B occurs worldwide, especially in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America.

You can get the disease through:

• sex without a condom or other protection
• contact with blood, for example via injecting drug use
• a medical treatment that is not sterile, for example at the dentist
• tattoos and piercings
• shaving with a blade that has already been used

In countries where hepatitis B is more common, children can catch it at birth from their mother. If you are infected, you can infect others through unprotected sex or blood contact.

After infection, people often have few or no symptoms, but they can still infect others. Symptoms, if they appear, usually come two to six months later: a flu-like feeling and sometimes jaundice. Some people remain infected long term. They often notice nothing, but have a higher chance of liver cirrhosis or liver cancer.

A long stay in an area with a lot of hepatitis B raises the risk. In that case you can get a vaccine. Ask a travel clinic whether vaccination is needed for your trip.