An infected mother can pass it to her newborn. Some cases appear sporadically. Usually transmitted through intravenous drug use, blood transfusions and other exposures from contaminated blood or its products. Oral-anal sexual practices. Use of intravenous, mind-altering drugs.
Vaccines are under development for other forms.
Routine hepatitis B vaccination for all newborn infants. Laboratory blood tests to identify infection, liver function studies, liver biopsy in severe or chronic cases. Hospitalization in severe cases to prevent dehydration. These patients are carriers and potentially infectious to household and sexual contacts. These people may look and feel well and not know they are infected.