infection⚑ High burden in India
Hepatitis B
B is an disease caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV) that affects the liver; it is a type of viral hepatitis. It can cause both acute and .
Underlined words are explained — tap any of them.
How common · Hepatitis B surface-antigen prevalence (%)
1.8% (2020)
India
0.9% (2020)
World
Source: WHO Global Health Observatory
Symptoms — what it feels like
- ·None, yellowish skin, tiredness, dark urine, pain
Causes — why it happens
- · B virus spread by some body fluids
How it's found
- ·Blood tests
Prevention
- · B vaccine
Treatment
- ·Antiviral medication (tenofovir, ), liver
Complications
- ·, liver cancer
Did you know?
You can carry hepatitis B for years and feel perfectly fine
It spreads through blood and body fluids, not shared plates; a vaccine in India's childhood schedule prevents it and a blood test detects it.
Source: WHO / NHS
The sections below are general education drawn from public guidelines (NHS, Mayo, CPIC, WHO, ICMR). They are not individually reviewed by a clinician and are not medical advice — always talk to a doctor about your own health.
Myths vs facts
✕Hepatitis B spreads through sharing food, water or utensils, or by casual contact.
✓ B spreads through blood and body fluids — from mother to baby at birth, through unsafe injections or unscreened blood, unprotected sex, or shared razors and needles. It does NOT spread through sharing food, water or utensils, hugging, or everyday contact.The 'shared plate' myth leads to needless isolation of people with hepatitis B, while the real prevention — vaccination — gets overlooked.
✕If you have hepatitis B, nothing can be done — it's a death sentence or a curse.
✓ B is preventable with a safe vaccine (part of India's routine childhood immunisation), and long-term can be controlled with medicines that protect the liver and lower the risk of liver cancer. Many people with hepatitis B live full, healthy lives.The 'nothing can be done' myth stops people from getting tested and treated, when both prevention and control are readily available.
✕A person with hepatitis B must be kept separate and cannot work alongside others.
✓People with B can study, work, share offices and toilets, and eat together safely — it does not spread through everyday contact. Household members simply need to get vaccinated.Excluding people from work or hostels over hepatitis B is both unnecessary and, in many settings, unlawful.
✕You would definitely know if you had hepatitis B because you'd feel sick.
✓Many people carry B for years with no symptoms while it quietly affects the liver. A simple blood test detects it, and family members can be protected with vaccination.Millions of Indians carry hepatitis B without knowing; testing and vaccination matter far more than any outward symptom.
Test yourself
0/4 answered4 quick questions on Hepatitis B. Tap an answer to check it.
1. What causes hepatitis B?
2. How does hepatitis B mainly spread?
3. How can hepatitis B be prevented?
4. Which serious complication can long-term hepatitis B lead to?
More in Liver
Hepatitis CCirrhosisFatty liver diseaseLiver cancerWilson's diseaseHaemochromatosisHepatitis AHepatitis EJaundiceAcute liver failureAlcoholic liver diseaseGilbert's syndrome
See all of Liver →Plain-language summary adapted from Wikipedia. Not medical advice.