What is Hepatitis B

Hepatitis B is a common disease in the United States. The good news is that the hepatitis B vaccine gives more than 90% protection to people who get the vaccine.

According to the CDC, symptoms may include:

  • Fever
  • Feeling tired
  • Upset stomach and throwing up
  • Not feeling hungry
  • Dark urine
  • Pain in the muscles, joints, and stomach
  • Jaundice (yellow skin or eyes)

Acute hepatitis B symptoms usually last a few weeks — but they can last as long as 6 months.

If the acute hepatitis B infection does not go away after 6 months, it’s considered a chronic hepatitis B infection. Most people who have chronic hepatitis B don’t have symptoms at first. But chronic hepatitis B is a lifelong illness that can lead to serious — and possibly deadly — liver problems, like:

  • Cirrhosis (scarring of the liver)
  • Liver cancer
  • Liver failure

Hepatitis B spreads through blood,  or other body fluids. Hepatitis B can spread from mother to child during birth — and when someone:

  • Has sex with a person who has hepatitis B
  • Shares drug needles with a person who has hepatitis B
  • Shares a razor or toothbrush with a person who has hepatitis B
  • Touches the blood or open sores of a person who has hepatitis B

Who should not get the Hepatitis B Vaccine?

Some people should not get the hepatitis B vaccine — or may need to wait to get it. Be sure to tell your doctor before getting vaccinated if you:

  • Have had a life-threatening allergic reaction to the hepatitis A vaccine or any ingredient in the vaccine
  • Are sick

Risks of Hepatitis B Vaccine

As with all medications, some people experience allergic reactions, including

  • Soreness or redness where the shot was given

Serious Hepatitis B Vaccine Injuries

US Vaccine Law is a national vaccine injury law firm.  Our vaccine attorneys focus exclusively on vaccine injury law.  Vaccine Injury law is all we do.