A person infected with the hepatitis B virus (also called HBV) runs a significant risk of serious liver damage by cirrhosis, liver failure and/or liver cancer.

Without early detection and treatment, the statistics on hepatitis B are sobering:

• 25 percent of people infected with hepatitis B die from liver cancer or cirrhosis.
• Some of these people develop cancer by age 30.
• Every year, approximately one million people worldwide die from hepatitis B because they are diagnosed with the disease too late.

One of the biggest dangers of hepatitis B is that it can be a silent killer. Many people infected with the hepatitis B virus have no symptoms—they feel perfectly healthy. However, these people can pass the disease on to others, and they, themselves, remain at risk for the complications of the disease. The only way to know for sure if you have hepatitis B is to get tested.

Learn how you can get the potentially lifesaving hepatitis B test.

Why is hepatitis B such a big issue among Asians and Pacific Islanders?
It’s a simple case of statistics. Half of the known carriers of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) in the United States are people of Asian and Pacific Island descent. In some Pacific Rim countries, as many as 10 percent to 20 percent of the population are hepatitis B carriers.

How can I keep from passing Hepatitis B on to my child during birth?
If you have hepatitis B, there is no way to keep from exposing your child during the birthing process. However, if your baby receives hepatitis B immunoglobulin and the first dose of the hepatitis B vaccine within 12 hours of birth—as well as two follow-up hepatitis B shots—there is a 98% chance that he or she will be protected against the disease. Your baby will need to have the other two doses of the hepatitis B vaccine at ages 2 months and 6 months. This vaccine is free for children under 19 years of age through the federal Vaccines for Children program.

If you are pregnant or of childbirth age, it is important for you to have a hepatitis B test. Learn how you can get this potentially lifesaving hepatitis B test.