HEPATITIS B: WHY TAKE THE RISK?
Hepatitis B is a serious disease that affects your liver. It can make you sick enough to miss months of school or lead to chronic liver disease or liver cancer. You can get it directly, through contact with infected blood or body fluids, or indirectly, through surfaces or objects contaminated with the hepatitis B virus. Some common methods of transmission include contact with infected blood/body fluids through:
Cuts and scrapes
Eyes, nose and mouth
Needlesticks
Repeatedly sharing an infected person’s toothbrush, razor or earrings
Potentially through piercing or tattooing
In some settings, the hepatitis B virus is up to 100 times more contagious than the AIDS virus and can stay infectious for a long time. And while the above list shows some of the behaviors that could lead to infection, it’s important to realize that approximately one third of those infected with hepatitis B have no identifiable risk factors. That means hepatitis B is a risk for everyone, no matter who you are. It’s vital that students like you are protected from hepatitis B and it is strongly urged that you be vaccinated as soon as possible. Protection from hepatitis B is achieved through a series of three shots: an initial shot, another one a month later, and the last shot 6 months after the first. It is important to get all three shots to help ensure immunity.
We encourage you to come to the student health service to start your vaccination series. It’s one of the most important things you can do to make sure your college career gets off to a healthy start.
Staff of the Student Health Center