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Hepatitis Information

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hepatitis b information

Connecticut State Law

Effective October 1, 2004, for the school year beginning in 2005, and each school year after that, institutions of higher education will provide:

  • Information about hepatitis B and the risks of contracting hepatitis B
  • Notice of the availability and benefits of a hepatitis B vaccine

 

What is Hepatitis B?

It is a virus (HBV) that can cause a short-term acute illness that leads to loss of appetite, tiredness, pain in muscles and joints, jaundice, diarrhea, and vomiting

It can also cause long-term illness that might lead to liver damage, liver cancer, or death.

It cannot be cured; however, it can be prevented by the use of the vaccine. It is considered the only STD that we can prevent.

 

It is spread by:

  • having unprotected sex with an infected partner
  • sharing needles while injecting illegal drugs
  • getting stuck by an infected needle on the job
  • during birth when it is passed from an infected mother to her baby

 

Who should receive the vaccine:

Everyone 18 years and younger should receive the HBV vaccine.

Adults over 18 who are at risk for hepatitis B should receive the HBV vaccine.

  • if they have had more than one sex partner during a six-month period
  • are health care workers, or are otherwise exposed to infected blood or body fluids
  • are men who have sex with other men
  • use injection drugs

People aged 18 and older who are at risk for both hepatitis A (HAV) and hepatitis B (HBV) may receive the hepatitis A and B combination vaccine.

 

receiving the vaccine on campus

The Hepatitis B vaccine is available at Granoff Health Services at a cost of $25 per dose. Hepatitis B vaccine is given in a series of three injections over a period of six months. We encourage you and your parents to learn more about hepatitis B and to receive the vaccine. 

For more information, please feel free to contact our Health Service at (203) 392-6300 and/or consult your physician. 

You can also find information about the disease at these Web sites:

 

hepatitis a information

Hepatitis A is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis A virus (HAV).  Transmission occurs by the fecal-oral route, either by direct contact with an HAV-infected person or by ingestion of HAV-contaminated food or water.  Foodborne or waterborne hepatitis A outbreaks are relatively uncommon in the United States but quite common in developing countries.

Good personal hygiene and proper sanitation can help prevent hepatitis A. Vaccines are also available for long-term prevention of hepatitis A virus infection in persons 12 months of age and older. Immune globulin is available for short-term prevention of hepatitis A virus infection in individuals of all ages.

Adults are at risk for Hepatitis A if they are:

  • poor
  • are of certain ethnicities, especially Native Americans, Alaskan Natives, and Mexican Americans
  • travel to or work where HAV is common
  • are men who have sex with men
  • use illicit drugs
  • work with HAV-infected primates, or HAV virus itself in a laboratory
  • receive clotting factor concentrates
  • are infected with other hepatitis viruses
  • have chronic liver disease and are not already immune to HAV
  • or have received, or are waiting to receive, a liver transplant.

People aged 18 and older who are at risk for both hepatitis A (HAV) and hepatitis B (HBV) may receive the hepatitis A and B combination vaccine, which is available through your health care provider or the Department of Public Health.

For more information, please feel free to contact our Health Service at (203) 392-6300 and/or consult your physician.