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The Presence Of Hepatitis B Envelope Antibody In Patients Who Have Been Previously Screened For The Surface Antigen
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Susceptibility to HBV infection is general. Only people who have been
vaccinated successfully or have developed anti-HBs antibodies after HBV
infection are immune to HBV infection. Persons with congenital or
acquired immunodeficiency including HIV infection, those with
immunosuppression including those with lymphoproliferative disease,
patients treated with immunosuppressive drugs including steroids and by
maintenance haemodyalisis are more likely to develop persistent
infection with HBV.
Hepatitis B can be spread by
• unprotected sex
• sharing IV drug needles
• living in a household with an infected person
• an infected mother to her newborn child at birth
• sharing earrings, razors, or toothbrushes with an infected person
• unsterilized needles, including tattoo or piercing needles
• human bites (www.hepb.org).
People are most at risk for hepatitis B if they
• are born to mothers who are infected with HBV
• live in close household contact with a chronically infected individual
• adopt a child from a country where HBV is prevalent
• have unprotected sex or have more than one sexual partner in a six month period
• have ever been diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease (STD)
• are men who have sex with men
• share needles and syringes
• are health care provider or emergency responder with possible contact with bodily fluids
• are a patient on kidney dialysis
• live or work in an institutional setting, such as a prison or group home (www.hepb.org).
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