I am concerned about how contagious it is - I seem to keep hearing conflicting accounts.
I have just started a series of vaccinations. However, what are the dangers of contracting it from: an unwashed bath that he has bathed in and also if he washed cutlery but only with water?
I have heard that it can live outside of the body?
This is an important question, as confusion over how disease is transmitted can unnecessarily have an adverse effect on our relationships with people close to us.
You are aware that hepatitis B is a form of viral hepatitis, with an incubation period of between 45-160 days. Hepatitis B can also occur as an asymptomatic carrier state, a chronic infection or as cirrhosis of the liver.
You are correct in thinking that it can live outside of the body, being able to survive on surfaces for days, but a person is only at risk if infected blood from the sufferer finds its way into their bloodstream.
Therefore it is spread through breaks in the skin and mucous membranes via contact with infected blood products through shared razors or toothbrushes, sexual intercourse, blood transfusions, dialysis treatment and needle sharing.
It can also be passed from mother to infant in the birthing process.
It is recommended that those people most at risk (eg household contacts, health care workers, dialysis patients, IV drug abusers and people receiving frequent blood transfusions) should be immunised with a course of hepatitis B vaccine such as the one you are in the process of receiving.
The NetDoctor Medical Team
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