What are the symptoms of hepatitis B and when do they start?
Hepatitis B symptoms include abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and sometimes joint pain, hives, or rash. Fever is usually mild or absent. The urine may temporarily appear darker in color, with a yellowing (jaundice) of the skin and whites of the eyes. Some infected individuals show few or no symptoms. The symptoms usually begin about 3 months after infection with the virus, but the onset may range from two to six months. For how long is a person with hepatitis B contagious? Hepatitis B virus is present in the blood and other body fluids of an infected person several weeks before symptoms start, and the person remains infectious to others for months afterward. If a person becomes a carrier of the hepatitis B virus, they remain potentially infectious to others indefinitely. Is there a vaccine for hepatitis B? Yes. Three hepatitis B shots are recommended for all infants starting at birth with completion by 18 months of age. It is also recommended for persons in high risk groups, such as h
