Sign-in to Ask A Doctor - 24x7
OR
Sign in with Google
Can Hepatitis B Be Transmitted Thorugh Sweat?
Question: Hello, Good Morning,
Just 2 days ago my mother in law (aged around 54 years) was diagnosed with hepatitis B and doctors said she is carrying it around 6-8 years. so they suggested us( my husband and myself, married from past 1year) also to get our blood test done, and our reports were negative to hepatitis B. We took the first vaccine( out of 3 vacines 0,1, 6 months) yesterday, I still have a few queries below, could you please advice on it
- so will I be protected against that from now itself after the 1st vaccine. As I am currently taking care of her now. We are currently planning for a baby
- I just want to know other then blood, sexual intercourse and urine, is there any other way this hepatitis can be transmitted, does sweat include in the list of transmission, as she sweats a lot.
- do we need to segregate and wash her cloths separately and please advice if we have any other hygiene conditions needs to be taken care off.
- doctors have said they will be giving her a vaccine to avoid spreading it to others as she is a carrier of that virus, does this work?
- Are hepatisis B people more open to get hepatitis C as there is no vaccine for Hepatisis C?
Medical state of my MIL: Currently she is admitted in hospital she was also diagnosed with Anaemia, jaundice and they did 2 bottles blood transfusion.
Kind Regards
XXXX
Just 2 days ago my mother in law (aged around 54 years) was diagnosed with hepatitis B and doctors said she is carrying it around 6-8 years. so they suggested us( my husband and myself, married from past 1year) also to get our blood test done, and our reports were negative to hepatitis B. We took the first vaccine( out of 3 vacines 0,1, 6 months) yesterday, I still have a few queries below, could you please advice on it
- so will I be protected against that from now itself after the 1st vaccine. As I am currently taking care of her now. We are currently planning for a baby
- I just want to know other then blood, sexual intercourse and urine, is there any other way this hepatitis can be transmitted, does sweat include in the list of transmission, as she sweats a lot.
- do we need to segregate and wash her cloths separately and please advice if we have any other hygiene conditions needs to be taken care off.
- doctors have said they will be giving her a vaccine to avoid spreading it to others as she is a carrier of that virus, does this work?
- Are hepatisis B people more open to get hepatitis C as there is no vaccine for Hepatisis C?
Medical state of my MIL: Currently she is admitted in hospital she was also diagnosed with Anaemia, jaundice and they did 2 bottles blood transfusion.
Kind Regards
XXXX
Brief Answer:
please read reply
Detailed Answer:
Dear XXXXXXX
Greetings from health care magic!!! I am Dr Thakker and shall be answering your question.
I have read your questions and shall answer them one by one:
so will I be protected against that from now itself after the 1st vaccine:
The immunity develops 4 to 6 weeks after the first dose and peaks at 6 months on receiving the 3rd dose. The immunity lasts for a period of 5 yrs. You are not right away protected on day 2 of first dose of primary vaccination.
Does sweat include in the list of transmission, as she sweats a lot.:
Sweat can be a mode of transmission. There is recent data collected from Olympic wrestlers who were Hep B positive. Their sweat showed presence of Hep B virus and hence wrestlers are advised for Hep B vaccination to prevent spread.
Do we need to segregate and wash her cloths separately and please advice if we have any other hygiene :
Yes if there is soiling of clothes by blood/ urine/sweat.
Doctors have said they will be giving her a vaccine to avoid spreading it to others as she is a carrier of that virus, does this work?:
There is no need of the vaccine because the infection gives body the immunity on it own. No vaccine will prevent spread to other.
Are hepatitis B people more open to get hepatitis C as there is no vaccine for Hepatitis C?
They are more prone to get hep d because it is a dependent virus. Since high risk factors are common to Hep B and C there is a possibility of acquiring even Hep c via same routes. However it is not because of hepatitis B. Rather it is because of the common mode of infection.
I hope this helps you out. If you have any more questions, please do not hesitate to write back to me.
Yours sincerely,
Dr Thakker.
please read reply
Detailed Answer:
Dear XXXXXXX
Greetings from health care magic!!! I am Dr Thakker and shall be answering your question.
I have read your questions and shall answer them one by one:
so will I be protected against that from now itself after the 1st vaccine:
The immunity develops 4 to 6 weeks after the first dose and peaks at 6 months on receiving the 3rd dose. The immunity lasts for a period of 5 yrs. You are not right away protected on day 2 of first dose of primary vaccination.
Does sweat include in the list of transmission, as she sweats a lot.:
Sweat can be a mode of transmission. There is recent data collected from Olympic wrestlers who were Hep B positive. Their sweat showed presence of Hep B virus and hence wrestlers are advised for Hep B vaccination to prevent spread.
Do we need to segregate and wash her cloths separately and please advice if we have any other hygiene :
Yes if there is soiling of clothes by blood/ urine/sweat.
Doctors have said they will be giving her a vaccine to avoid spreading it to others as she is a carrier of that virus, does this work?:
There is no need of the vaccine because the infection gives body the immunity on it own. No vaccine will prevent spread to other.
Are hepatitis B people more open to get hepatitis C as there is no vaccine for Hepatitis C?
They are more prone to get hep d because it is a dependent virus. Since high risk factors are common to Hep B and C there is a possibility of acquiring even Hep c via same routes. However it is not because of hepatitis B. Rather it is because of the common mode of infection.
I hope this helps you out. If you have any more questions, please do not hesitate to write back to me.
Yours sincerely,
Dr Thakker.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Vinay Bhardwaj
Thank you for the answers, I have come up with few more queries related to HEP B. Could you please guide me with it.
- What about the utensils we use to eat plate, spoon and glass, can i spread through these mode and do we need to maintain separate plates and not share them?
- Since my vaccine is just 3 days old, will i get the infection? as the vaccine takes 4-6 weeks for me to get immune.
- could you also please advice if there is any other hygienic requirements need to taken care, as nurses say in spite of taking injection they advice me to use gloves to touch her.
- Is this virus related to HIV as it is sexually transmitted?
- can i get even Hep A vaccine also done?
Kind Regards
XXXX
- What about the utensils we use to eat plate, spoon and glass, can i spread through these mode and do we need to maintain separate plates and not share them?
- Since my vaccine is just 3 days old, will i get the infection? as the vaccine takes 4-6 weeks for me to get immune.
- could you also please advice if there is any other hygienic requirements need to taken care, as nurses say in spite of taking injection they advice me to use gloves to touch her.
- Is this virus related to HIV as it is sexually transmitted?
- can i get even Hep A vaccine also done?
Kind Regards
XXXX
Brief Answer:
Please read detailed response
Detailed Answer:
Dear XXXXXXX
I would like to tell you that this level of consultation is usually given by a specialist level query. You have asked us a GP query. Your questions fall beyond the limits of a GP level expertise. I am an expert specialist in internal medicine and will answer your queries this time though. The reimbursement for the specialist level queries is different. I recommend you use Ask A Specialist the next time.
Here are your answers:
What about the utensils we use to eat plate, spoon and glass, can i spread through these mode and do we need to maintain separate plates and not share them?----
You can share the utensils, however make sure they are cleaned well after each use. If there is a blood contamination because of any cause, you need to disinfect the utensil with Lysol.
- Since my vaccine is just 3 days old, will i get the infection? as the vaccine takes 4-6 weeks for me to get immune.----
You are at high risk till 4 to 6 weeks. you can take precautions so as not to get in touch with blood/ sweat/ body secretions of the patient.
- could you also please advice if there is any other hygienic requirements need to taken care, as nurses say in spite of taking injection they advice me to use gloves to touch her....
Once you are vaccinated, body has an immunity to fight hep b. As a universal precaution measure, and to be double sure you can use gloves when performing medical procedures. Gloves are not needed for routine care, unless you come in contact with blood.
- Is this virus related to HIV as it is sexually transmitted?
Hep b can be transmitted sexually. It is not related to the HIV virus. Both are different viruses with different targets in the human body. They just share a common mode of transmission.
- Can i get even Hep A vaccine also done?
Hep A vaccination is not needed if your mother has already been affected with jaundice in her childhood. Most likely she has an immunity from this old infection. If she has never suffered from jaundice in her childhood, we can give her Hep A vaccine.
I hope this helps you out.
Yours sincerely,
Dr Thakker.
Please read detailed response
Detailed Answer:
Dear XXXXXXX
I would like to tell you that this level of consultation is usually given by a specialist level query. You have asked us a GP query. Your questions fall beyond the limits of a GP level expertise. I am an expert specialist in internal medicine and will answer your queries this time though. The reimbursement for the specialist level queries is different. I recommend you use Ask A Specialist the next time.
Here are your answers:
What about the utensils we use to eat plate, spoon and glass, can i spread through these mode and do we need to maintain separate plates and not share them?----
You can share the utensils, however make sure they are cleaned well after each use. If there is a blood contamination because of any cause, you need to disinfect the utensil with Lysol.
- Since my vaccine is just 3 days old, will i get the infection? as the vaccine takes 4-6 weeks for me to get immune.----
You are at high risk till 4 to 6 weeks. you can take precautions so as not to get in touch with blood/ sweat/ body secretions of the patient.
- could you also please advice if there is any other hygienic requirements need to taken care, as nurses say in spite of taking injection they advice me to use gloves to touch her....
Once you are vaccinated, body has an immunity to fight hep b. As a universal precaution measure, and to be double sure you can use gloves when performing medical procedures. Gloves are not needed for routine care, unless you come in contact with blood.
- Is this virus related to HIV as it is sexually transmitted?
Hep b can be transmitted sexually. It is not related to the HIV virus. Both are different viruses with different targets in the human body. They just share a common mode of transmission.
- Can i get even Hep A vaccine also done?
Hep A vaccination is not needed if your mother has already been affected with jaundice in her childhood. Most likely she has an immunity from this old infection. If she has never suffered from jaundice in her childhood, we can give her Hep A vaccine.
I hope this helps you out.
Yours sincerely,
Dr Thakker.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Prasad
Yes, I am very happy with the answers. Thanks a lot.
Brief Answer:
thanks, feedback and review needed
Detailed Answer:
Dear XXXXXXX
Thank you. Please leave a feedback rating and review because it helps to build trust for other new patients.
Dr Thakker.
thanks, feedback and review needed
Detailed Answer:
Dear XXXXXXX
Thank you. Please leave a feedback rating and review because it helps to build trust for other new patients.
Dr Thakker.
Note: For further follow up on digestive issues share your reports here and Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Vinay Bhardwaj
Answered by
Get personalised answers from verified doctor in minutes across 80+ specialties
