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Overview
Hepatitis B is a serious liver infection caused by the
hepatitis B virus (HBV). For some people, the infection
becomes chronic, leading to liver failure, liver cancer or
cirrhosis — a condition that causes permanent scarring of the
liver.
The hepatitis B virus is transmitted through contact with the
blood and body fluids of someone who is infected — the same
way the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that
causes AIDS, spreads. Yet hepatitis B is nearly 100 times as
infectious as HIV.You're especially at risk if you are an
intravenous (IV) drug user who shares needles or other
paraphernalia, have unprotected sexual contact with an
infected partner, or were born in or travel to parts of the
world where hepatitis B is widespread. In addition, women with
HBV can pass the infection to their babies during childbirth.
Most people infected as adults recover fully from hepatitis B,
even if their signs and symptoms are severe. Infants and
children are much more likely to develop a chronic infection.
Although no cure exists for hepatitis B, a vaccine can prevent
the disease. If you're already infected, taking certain
precautions can help prevent HBV from spreading to others.
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