Hepatitis B is contracted through contact with infected blood, semen, or other body fluids. Common ways to contract it include having unprotected vaginal, anal, or oral sex with an infected person; sharing needles or syringes for drug use; accidental needle stick injuries; birth from an infected mother to her baby; and through contaminated medical or piercing equipment. It is not spread by casual contact such as hugging, kissing, sharing food, or coughing and sneezing.
Common Transmission Routes
- Sexual contact without protection
- Sharing needles for injecting drugs
- From mother to newborn at birth
- Contact with contaminated medical or tattoo/piercing equipment
- Sharing sharp objects like razors or toothbrushes contaminated with blood
Hepatitis B is highly contagious, and blood or bodily fluids entering the bloodstream of an uninfected person leads to transmission.
