ing of the liver, otherwise known as Cirrhosis. This can also increase the risk of liver cancer. Approximately 90-95% of adults will recover within six months and not contact HBV again.(2) However, blood tests will always show that the person was infected with HBV and blood banks will not accept their blood. About 5-10% of adults and 25-90% of children under the age of 5 that are infected with HBV are not able to get rid of the virus after 6 months. These people are considered to be chronically infected, commonly called Hepatitis B carriers. The carrier rate of Hepatitis B varies throughout the world, being uncommon amongst westerners, but reaching as high as 20% in people from Asia and Africa. With the immigration of foreigners into new countries, Hepatitis B is now becoming established in parts of countries where it previously was not. Many people with acute HBV have no symptoms at all, or they could be very insignificant and flu-like. Sometimes the infected person may have a loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, muscle or joint aches, mild fever, and in some cases jaundice (yellowing of the skin). Also, some of the patients may notice dark urine and light colored stools. Because Hepatitis sometimes has no symptoms it can be unknowingly transmitted through exposure to blood or other bodily fluids or through intimate contact. The incubation period of Hepatitis B is about 45 to 160 days and the average is about 120 days. HBV is transmitted through contact with bodily fluids containing HBV. Therefore, anyone who is exposed to blood or bodily fluids of an infected person is at risk of contracting HBV. The most common way Hepatitis B is passed from one person to another is sexual contact. It can also be passed through exposure to sharp instruments contaminated with the infected blood. For example, tattooing, body-piercing, sharing of razors and toothbrushes, or human bites. In about 30-40% of cases, the method of how the ...
