Hepatitis B is not spread by casual contact or by contaminated food or water. An individual infected with hepatitis B may have no symptoms, or may have a range of symptoms including fatigue, poor appetite, fever and vomiting. Symptoms of hepatitis B usually occur within 60 to 90 days after exposure to the hepatitis B virus, but they may occur anytime from 45 to 180 days after exposure, and occasionally up to nine months. Hepatitis B is diagnosed by a blood test for hepatitis B virus and hepatitis B virus antibodies. There is no specific treatment for acute hepatitis B illness.
Most individuals recover fully on their own within a few weeks.
This means that the virus remains in their blood for the rest of their lives. Chronic infection with hepatitis B can lead to serious liver diseases, such as cirrhosis or liver cancer. Drug therapy for chronic hepatitis B infection is now available in the United States. This success rate is expected to improve as better treatments become available. This is usually 2 months before, and 2 months after the onset of their symptoms of hepatitis B illness.