The Pennsylvania Department of Health is reminding residents that people can have hepatitis B without experiencing symptoms.
Hepatitis B is a liver infection caused by the hepatitis B virus. The infection can be short-term or long-term. Chronic hepatitis B cannot be cured, but it can be managed as a medical condition and may not always require treatment.
Many people with hepatitis B have no symptoms. When symptoms occur, they can include fatigue, joint pain, fever, dark urine, abdominal pain, gray stool, jaundice, nausea or vomiting.
Hepatitis B can spread through blood-to-blood contact, sex, and during pregnancy or childbirth. The Department of Health noted that women who do not have symptoms may only learn they have hepatitis B through testing, and the virus can be passed to a baby if the infection is not identified.
A vaccine is available to prevent hepatitis B. The Pennsylvania Department of Health said the hepatitis B vaccine has been used for more than 40 years. The vaccine is given in two or three doses several months apart.
More information is available at pa.gov/vaccines or through a health care provider.
Photo credits to Pennsylvania Department of Health
