Hepatitis B

All children should be immunized against hepatitis B virus (HBV), an incurable liver disease that may cause chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis of the liver, liver failure and death. It also sets up children to develop cancer of the liver later in life.

There are about 300,000 new cases of hepatitis B and at least 5,000 deaths from liver cancer each year in the United States. More than one million people in the United States have chronic HBV infection.

Early symptoms include a poor appetite, general discomfort, nausea, vomiting and fever. As the hepatitis B progresses, the urine is dark, and jaundice (a condition in which the skin, eyeballs and urine are abnormally yellow) occurs.

If you suspect your child has hepatitis, call your doctor immediately.