How is hepatitis B passed on
and who is at risk?
The information on this page is for:
- Adults with hepatitis B or suspected hepatitis B
- Family, friends, carers, and healthcare professionals.
You can download our hepatitis B guide for young people here
The hepatitis B virus is mostly passed on through blood. It can also be passed on in other body fluids such as semen (cum). This means that, if you live with hepatitis B, the virus can be passed on if your blood or other fluids mix with someone else’s.
Hepatitis B can be passed from a mother to her baby during birth. This is how most people with chronic hepatitis B got the virus.
The hepatitis B virus can live in dried blood for at least a week. So it is possible but unlikely for it to be passed on by sharing items that can get blood on them like razors.
On this page:
Most people pick up hepatitis B when they are born or as a child
Bleeding is a normal part of birth, so it is easy for the virus to get passed from mother to baby. Mothers may not know they have a hepatitis B infection or be able to stop it being passed on.
In the UK mums-to-be are now tested for hepatitis B. But women giving birth in the past or in other countries may not have been able to have a test or get treatment for their baby.
There is more chance of getting hepatitis B if you or your mother were born or grew up in a country where levels are medium or high. This includes all countries in:
- Africa
- Asia
- The Caribbean
- Central and South America
- Eastern and Southern Europe
- The Middle East
- The Pacific islands
Women living with hepatitis B can safely have children. Vaccines and treatments are available that can stop the virus being passed on. These are now part of usual medical care for women with hepatitis B giving birth in the UK. Read more about this on the vaccines page.
Other ways hepatitis B is passed on
You can pick up hepatitis B without knowing. Some people who picked it up as adults do not know how they got hepatitis B. It could be linked to accidents or injuries, for example playing a contact sport before blood safety rules were introduced.
Hepatitis B can be passed on through:
- Having any kind of sex without a condom or dam
- Blood transfusions and medical or dental operations (the UK has processes to stop viruses like hepatitis B being passed on)
- Having a tattoo, piercing, or treatments such as botox or steroid injections with equipment that is shared or not clean
- Needlestick injuries in hospitals, clinics, labs and similar places
- Sharing needles or other things to take drugs such as straws or bank notes
- Sharing personal items like razors or toothbrushes
If you live with hepatitis B, it’s a good idea for close contacts like people you live with to be vaccinated. Hepatitis B can’t get passed on by kissing, hugging or sharing a meal.
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This content was last reviewed: July 2023
Our expert reviewers:
We would like to thank everyone who helped with creating and reviewing this page. Including Dr Ahmed Elsharkawy, Consultant Hepatologist, Dr Kathryn Jack (PhD RN), Clinical Lead Nurse Research and Innovation, Nottingham University Hospitals. And all our patient reviewers.
Find out how we make our patient information.
Everyone’s experience of liver disease will be different. Always talk to your specialist medical team for personal advice.
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