Hepatitis B

  • Hepatitis B is a virus that can be passed on through sex, among other routes. In most cases your immune system brings the infection under control by itself, but it can also become a chronic illness. You notice little or nothing of this, but you can pass it on to others. The danger with hepatitis B is that in the longer term it can cause serious damage to your liver and greatly increases the risk of liver cancer. Chronic hepatitis B can be treated effectively. We refer you to a gastroenterologist for this. Prevention is better than cure, though: there is a good vaccine available that protects against hepatitis B. 

  • Hepatitis B is a virus. We do not see it often in the Netherlands, but worldwide it is common: around two billion people have had an infection and almost three hundred million people are chronic carriers of hepatitis B. There is an effective vaccine available that protects against hepatitis B.  

  • Hepatitis B can be passed on through sex, but also from mother to child and by using needles from someone who has hepatitis B.

  • If you are vaccinated against hepatitis B, your chance is zero. If you are not vaccinated, the chance of it being passed on by someone with an active infection is quite high (20–40%).

    At ZIZ we find hepatitis B in around one in a thousand people we test for it. 

  • Yes. Certainly if you get hepatitis B through sex, there is a 95% chance that your body will bring the virus under control by itself. The virus probably remains present in your liver in (very) small amounts, but it does not make you ill. In the remaining 5%, your immune system does not manage this and you develop a chronic infection. The chance of a chronic infection is considerably higher if hepatitis B is passed from mother to child than if you get hepatitis B as an adult.

  • Acute hepatitis B causes jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes) in around three in ten people. Most people, however, develop no clear symptoms. Laboratory tests do often show raised liver values. 

  • You test for hepatitis B with a blood test. At ZIZ we test for the hepatitis B surface antigen. 

  • To rule out hepatitis B with certainty, we advise waiting at least three months before testing. 

  • Chronic hepatitis B can be treated effectively with medication. You will be referred to a gastroenterologist for treatment. 

    For hepatitis B, prevention is better than cure. If you are not vaccinated and you are at risk, we advise you to get vaccinated.

  • Hepatitis B is a notifiable disease. If we find hepatitis B, the GGD will start source and contact tracing.

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