Hepatitis B is a virus that causes the liver to become inflamed.
Most people fight off the infection themselves.
There are over a million carriers of the hepatitis B virus in the United States and an estimated 200,000 people contract this serious liver disease each year. Mechanisms of transmission include unprotected sexual contact with exchange of genetial fluids or saliva, sharing of injection needles or 'works,' receiving a transfusion of blood, blood products or organs before 1975. However, in approximately 30-40 percent of cases the method of transmission is unknown. Back to Contents . You can protect yourself against hepatitis B with a safe and effective vaccine.