The incubation period for hepatitis B is from one to four months. A majority of infected individuals will have no obvious symptoms. Those who do will usually have a lost of appetite, nausea, jaundice and abdominal pain, but some people will have more severe symptoms and may even die. The symptoms may last one to three months but in some individuals fatigue may last for a longer period of time. Most adults who become infected will develop antibodies within six months and rid themselves of the virus. A small percentage, approximately 5%, will develop a chronic form of the disease. However, 90% of children infected at birth will become chronic carriers. A chronic carrier is a person who still has the disease who may develop liver cirrhosis or cancer over time and who can infect others. Treatment is available for these individuals; the medications used may cause severe side-effects and are not entirely effective. The most effective treatment is prevention.
A vaccine can be used prior to an infection to prevent the disease. The vaccine consists of three injections over a period of three months. In Quebec, all children in grade 4 are vaccinated. The vaccine is recommended and provided free of charge to certain people at risk including men having sex with men, individuals with multiple sex partners, those recently diagnosed with an STI, intravenous drug users, those with liver diseases, and family contacts of a person infected with hepatitis B. Ask a nurse at Student Health to find out if you fall into one of these categories.
If you believe that you may have been recently exposed to hepatitis B through blood or mucous secretions you should go to the emergency room of a hospital to be treated. Once there you will be given Hepatitis B Immune Globulins, which is pooled human serum containing large amounts of hepatitis B antibodies to help you fight off the disease and the first injection of the vaccine will be given. This should be done within 48 hours of exposure, except for with sexual contact, where it can be done up to two weeks after the contact, but the sooner the better.
The hepatitis B vaccine can also be given in combination with the hepatitis A vaccine.