Most people remain healthy without any symptoms while they fight off the virus. Some will not even know they have been infected.

However, until the virus has been cleared from their body, they can pass it on to others.

If there are any symptoms, these will develop on average 40 to 160 days after exposure to the virus and will usually pass within one to three months.

Hepatitis B is said to be chronic when you have been infected for longer than six months.

However, without treatment, chronic hepatitis B can lead to more serious conditions such as liver disease (inflammation) or cirrhosis (scarring of the liver) in a small number of people.

Hepatitis B is an infection of your liver. It can cause scarring of the organ, liver failure, and cancer. It can be fatal if it isn’t treated.

It’s spread when people come in contact with the blood, open sores, or body fluids of someone who has the hep B virus.

Your doctor will know you’ve recovered when your blood tests show no signs of active infection.

But some people don’t get rid of the infection. If you have it for more than 6 months, you’re what’s called a carrier, even if you don’t have symptoms. This means you can give the disease to someone else through:

• Unprotected sex
• Contact with your blood or an open sore
• Sharing needles or syringes

Doctors don’t know why, but the disease does goes away in a small number of carriers. For others, it becomes what’s known as chronic. That means you have an ongoing liver infection. It can lead to cirrhosisor hardening of the organ. It scars over and stops working. Some people also get liver cancer.

Signs and symptoms of hepatitis B, ranging from mild to severe, usually appear about one to four months after you’ve been infected. Signs and symptoms of hepatitis B may include:

1. Abdominal pain

2. Dark urine

3. Fever

4. Joint pain

5. Loss of appetite

6. Nausea and vomiting

7. Weakness and fatigue

8. Mild fever.

9. Headache.