Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) What is it?
A viral infection primarily affecting the liver. How many get it? About 77,000 new reported cases a year through sexual transmission; about 750,000 people are already infected with Hepatitis B as a result of sexual transmission. Signs? Many people don’t have any symptoms. Others may experience severe fatigue, achiness, nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite, darkening of urine, or abdominal tenderness, usually within one to six months of exposure. Yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes (called jaundice), and darkening of the urine can occur later. How is it spread? Through unprotected vaginal, oral, and anal sex. It can also be transmitted through sharing contaminated needles, or through any behavior in which a person’s mucus membranes are exposed to an infected person’s blood, semen, vaginal secretions, or saliva. (Don’t worry… the chance of getting Hepatitis B through kissing is slim, unless your partner likes to bite!). Treatment? Most cases clear up within one to two months
