
Hepatitis B (Chronic)
Hepatitis B is an infection that attacks the liver. It is caused by the hepatitis B virus and is transmitted through contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of an infected person, including through sexual contact, sharing needles or from mother to baby at birth. A chronic infection is when a person’s immune system cannot get rid of the virus and it remains in their blood and liver for more than six months. Long-term complications of a chronic infection may include cirrhosis or liver cancer. In some cases, treatment with antiviral medications is recommended to prevent complications from the infection. Hepatitis B can be prevented through vaccination – offered in grade seven and to those at high risk of infection.
PHO Rounds: Tuberculosis Contact Investigation: Principles and practice
This PHO Rounds will review the principles of TB contact investigation, including transmission risk assessment, prioritizing follow-up based on the source case’s likely infectiousness, the nature of the exposure(s), and factors that increase immunologic vulnerability of exposed individuals to TB disease.
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