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Header: Hepatitis B Subsite Home

Hepatitis B is a serious disease caused by a highly infectious virus which can lead to severe illness, liver damage and, in some cases, even death. Each year in the United States, more than 80,000 people become infected with hepatitis B, approximately 5,000 people die of liver failure and another 1,500 die of liver cancer related to hepatitis B. Hepatitis B is the most common cause of liver cancer in the world.

Hepatitis B virus can be passed from one person to another through exchanged blood and other body fluids, such as with sexual intercourse or by sharing needles to inject drugs. The hepatitis B virus is found in an infected person's blood, semen, vaginal fluids and other body fluids. Pregnant women who are infected with hepatitis B virus may transmit the disease to their infants. It may be spread from an infected person to another person in the following ways:

  • Unprotected sex (without using a condom)
  • During birth from mother to child
  • Contact with blood or open sores of an infected person
  • Pre-chewing food for babies or sharing chewing gum
  • Using non-sterile needles in ear piercing, IV drug use, tattooing, or acupuncture

Hepatitis B infection is NOT spread by:

  • Casual contact, like holding hands
  • Eating food prepared by a carrier of the virus
  • Kissing on the cheek or dry lip kissing
  • Sharing silverware, plates or cups
  • Visiting an infected person’s home
  • Playing with a child who is a carrier of the virus
  • Sneezing or coughing

 


Logo: NC Division of Public Health
Link: N.C. Women's and Children's Health Web Site

Hepatitis B is a very serious disease, but it is preventable. Hepatitis B vaccine can provide protection in 90-95 percent of healthy people. The vaccine can be given safely to infants, children and adults in three doses over an approximate six-month period. Even pregnant women can safely be given these shots if their risk factors show they need it. Hepatitis B shots are very safe and side effects are rare.

Hepatitis B Information

Useful Links for Additional Information

North Carolina's Hepatitis B Prevention Programs

North Carolina has met the national standard of hepatitis B prevention efforts with the implementation of perinatal and adolescent immunization programs. Both segments of the North Carolina Hepatitis B Prevention Program have been increasingly successful over the past decade.

The North Carolina Perinatal Hepatitis B Prevention Program

Since February 1, 1990, North Carolina state law (G.S. 130A-135 and 15A NCAC 19A.0203) has mandated that all pregnant women be tested for hepatitis B, unless known to be infected. Local health departments (LHDs) track cases of hepatitis B-infected women and the infants born to them. Tracking efforts are conducted to ensure that infants are vaccinated, develop immunity, and are not infected with hepatitis B virus.

Post-vaccination serologic testing - both hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) testing and anti-HBs testing - of infants is recommended to determine the success of the preventive measures, to identify infected infants and to identify infants that need revaccination. The North Carolina Perinatal Hepatitis B Prevention Program is making a major impact in the fight against perinatally-acquired hepatitis B infection.

The North Carolina Sixth-Grade School-Site Hepatitis B Immunization Initiative Ends

Since July 1, 1994, North Carolina immunization law requires all children to complete the hepatitis B vaccination series prior to school entry. In 1995, North Carolina launched a statewide 10-year initiative to offer hepatitis B vaccinations to all sixth-graders through school-based clinics. This initiative was designed to reach children who missed the vaccination series prior to enactment of state law. This initiative concluded with the 2005-2006 school year because all children entering sixth grade were born prior to July 1, 1994 and had been mandated by state law to receive the hepatitis B vaccine prior to school entry.

School-site immunization clinics provided a unique opportunity to vaccinate adolescents before the age of greatest risk of exposure to the hepatitis B virus. This initiative offered the best hope for completing the recommended vaccinations over a six-month period, and it was flexible and convenient for parents. The goal of the Sixth-Grade School-Site Immunization Initiative was to vaccinate at least 70 percent of North Carolina's sixth-graders against hepatitis B.

 
 

 

Last Updated: September 2, 2010

The purpose of this web site is both educational and informative.
Personal medical advice should be sought from your local health department or physician.

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