Community Health Guide to Stopping Hepatitis B Transmission

Hepatitis B can live outside the body for at least a week. During this time, the virus can be transmitted through blood or sexual fluids.

Hepatitis B can be transmitted via:

• wet or dried semen, vaginal fluid, or blood
• sexual contact
• sharing needles or syringes
• parent to child at birth

Though hepatitis B is often transmitted through blood or sexual fluids, it’s less likely to be spread via saliva. It’s also not spread via kissing, sharing utensils, or through food preparation.

Here’s what else to know about how the virus survives and spreads.

Short answer: How long can hepatitis B live outside the body?

Hepatitis B can live on surfaces for up to 7 days in bodily fluids, such as blood (including menstrual) and semen. Hepatitis B is considered resilient and can survive even in the most microscopic particles.

It may thrive on everyday shared household items like nail clippers, toothbrushes, nail files, earrings, razors, or other sharp items where even the smallest amount of blood may be drawn.

During this period, the virus may spread to someone without immunity to the virus (whether through vaccination or via a previous infection).

The virus can live inside the body for much longer. However, the overall contagion period of hepatitis B can range from 1 to 9 weeks . About half of people with a hepatitis B infection will no longer be infectious 7 weeks after the onset of symptoms, and the virus becomes undetectable at 15 weeks. However, in some conditions, it can become chronic and stay in your system for longer periods.

Keep in mind that you can be highly contagious without knowing you have the infection. Some people do not develop symptoms of hepatitis B, or if present, those symptoms may develop 1 to 6 months after exposure. However, testing can detect the immune response to the virus within 1 to 9 weeks.

Without treatment, it may develop into chronic hepatitis B , especially if it’s transmitted to a baby or child. There is a 95% chance of children developing chronic hep B, whereas adults only have a 5% risk.

Can you get hepatitis B from dry blood?

Yes, you can get hepatitis B from dried blood. Again, household items like tweezers, nail clippers, and razors may contain minuscule bits of dried blood that contain hepatitis B particles.

Since the virus is known to be very hardy , it can spread in this way. Be sure to wear proper biohazard protection when cleaning up someone else’s dried blood or other dry body fluids.

What is the number one cause of hepatitis B?

While hepatitis B infections are much less common than in previous decades due to the vaccine , they are still prevalent. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the hepatitis B virus affects nearly 300 million people globally, including over 6 million children under 5 years.

In endemic areas such as western Pacific and African regions, hepatitis B is most often spread via:

• birthing parent to child at birth
• through exposure to infected blood (especially from children to children under 5 years)

In the United States, hepatitis B is currently most often spread via:

• sharing injectable drugs
• sexual contact

What are the odds of getting hepatitis B?

In the United States, the CDC estimates that the overall risk of getting a hepatitis B virus infection in a lifetime is 4.3%.

Your odds of getting hepatitis B are much higher if you live in an endemic, highly populated area and don’t have the vaccine or immunity from an existing infection.

And although anyone can get infected, according to the CDC, the following groups are the most vulnerable:

• infants whose birthing parents have contracted the virus
• people born in places where hepatitis B is very common ( including Asia, the Pacific Islands, and Africa)
• unvaccinated people
• people with hepatitis C
• people who share needles or other drug equipment
• sex partners of those with hepatitis B
• people with an HIV infection
• people who live with people with a hepatitis B infection
• employees exposed to blood at work (i.e., healthcare workers)
• people on blood dialysis
• people with higher levels of certain liver enzymes
• in the United States, those between 30 and 59 years

Takeaway

Hepatitis B can be spread via bodily fluids like blood, semen, or vaginal fluid. It can persist outside the body — even in dried fluid — on surfaces for up to a week.

If you think you may have been exposed to the hepatitis B virus, visit a doctor or your local health department right away. A doctor can detect the virus as well as give you the vaccine, which, when done as soon as possible, can prevent infection and further spread of the virus.