Hepatitis B

What do sex, tattoos, body piercings, and contact sports have in common?
They can all put you at risk for hepatitis B-a serious and contagious disease that attacks the liver and can lead to lifelong infection. College students may be at increased risk for hepatitis B, but you can protect yourself with information and vaccination. Read on to learn more about hepatitis B, evaluate your own risk of infection, and understand why health officials recommend vaccination for all students.

What is hepatitis B?

• Hepatitis B is caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV) and is a serious and contagious disease that attacks the liver.
   
• Hepatitis B can lead to:
   
  • Lifelong infection
     
  • Cirrhosis
     
  • Liver cancer
     
  • Liver failure
     
  • Death
     
• There is no cure for hepatitis B.

  The facts about hepatitis B
   

• There are approximately 1.25 million chronically infected Americans.
   
• 200,000 people are infected with hepatitis B each year and 5,000 die.
   
• 75 percent of cases occur in individuals between the ages of 15 & 39.
   
• 50 percent of those with hepatitis B do not have symptoms but can go on to infect others.
   
• One in 20 people now has or will someday contract this contagious disease.
   
• Approximately 1/3 of those with hepatitis B do not know the source of their infection.

How is hepatitis B spread?

• Hepatitis B is contagious and spread when the blood or other body fluids of a person with the virus are absorbed into an individual's blood stream, either through broken skin or a mucous membrane.
   
• The hepatitis B virus can live in all body fluids of an infected person, including blood, saliva, semen, and vaginal fluids. It can enter the body through cuts, tears, or abrasions in the skin and through mucous membranes of the mouth, vagina, anus, and eyes.

What behaviors and activities put people at risk?
Anyone who comes in contact with the blood or body fluids of an infected person is at risk for hepatitis B. Certain behaviors can increase the risk, including:

• Unprotected sex (vaginal, anal, and oral sex)
   
• Health care and public safety work (or other occupations that may include exposure to infected blood, body fluids, or instruments)
   
• Getting a tattoo or body piercing
   
• Sharing items such as razors, earrings, and toothbrushes
   
• Sharing injection drug needles and other paraphernalia
   
• Travel abroad to areas where the disease is common
   
• Contact sports (sports during with players may be exposed to each other's blood or saliva)
   
• Helping an injured person who is bleeding
   
• Household contact with persons with chronic hepatitis infection
   
• Chronic kidney dialysis

Why are college students at risk?

• 75 percent of all hepatitis B cases occur in individuals between the ages of 15 and 39.
   
• College students may come in contact with the blood or body fluids of an infected person during:
   
  • Sexual contact
     
  • Patient contact as a heath sciences student
     
  • Sharing items like a razor or toothbrush
     
  • Injection drug use
     
  • Contact sports
     
  • Assisting an injured person who is bleeding
     
• Living in close quarters-like a college residence hall-may increase the risk of exposure to carriers of the virus.
   
• Travel-aboard programs often include travel to countries where hepatitis B is common.

What are the symptoms?
About 50 percent of those infected with hepatitis B have no symptoms, but can infect others without knowing it.
Symptoms, which often resemble the flu, may include:

• Fever
   
• Loss of appetite
   
• Low energy
   
• Joint pain
   
• Cramping
   
• Nausea and vomiting

Is there a vaccine to prevent it?

• Yes. A safe and effective vaccine is available to protect against hepatitis B.
   
• The vaccine series for hepatitis B is given in the arm, in all three doses over a six-month period. It's important to get all three doses for full protection against hepatitis B.
   
• The vaccine is 96 percent effective upon completion of all three doses.
   
• The most common side effect of the vaccine is soreness at the site of injection. Other mild side effects, such as fever, headache, and nausea, are rare.
   
• You cannot get the disease from the vaccine.

Who should get vaccinated?

• The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends vaccination of everyone 18 years of age and under, and anyone at high risk for hepatitis B.
   
• The American College Health Association recommends that all college students be vaccinated.
   
• The National Collegiate Athletic Association recommends vaccination of all student athletes.

How else can hepatitis B be prevented?

• Use latex or polyurethane condoms during sex.
   
• If you decide to get a tattoo or body piercing, make sure you know that sterile equipment is being used.
   
• Avoid sharing pierced earrings, razors, and toothbrushes.
   
• Don't share needles to inject drugs of any kind.

Find out more information
For more information about hepatitis B among college students and prevention-including vaccination-talk with a health care provider at your student health center, or visit:

• US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/hip/Blood/HepatitisB.htm
   
• American College Health Association, http://www.acha.org
   
• National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, http://www.nfid.org
   
• American Academy of Pediatrics, http://www.aap.org