Hepatitis B Myths

  • The Myth

    Hepatitis B can be spread by sneezing.

    The Reality

    Hepatitis B is not spread by casual contact such as from the air, hugging, touching, sneezing, coughing, toilet seats, or doorknobs. You cannot get hepatitis B from eating or drinking with someone who is infected nor can you get it from eating food prepared by someone who has hepatitis B.

  • The Myth

    You get hepatitis B from the vaccine.

    The Reality

    Hepatitis B vaccine doesn't contain live virus. It is made from a synthetic yeast product in the laboratory.

  • The Myth

    You can get hepatitis B from a mosquito bite.

    The Reality

    The results of experiments and observations of insect biting behavior indicate that when an insect bites a person, it does not inject its own or a previously bitten person's or animal's blood into the next person bitten. Rather, it injects saliva, which acts as a lubricant so the insect can feed efficiently. Diseases such as yellow fever and malaria are transmitted through saliva or specific species of mosquitoes.

  • The Myth

    You can only get hepatitis B (HBV) from sharing needles.

    The Reality

    You can get hepatitis B from direct contact with blood or infected bodily fluids, unprotected sex with an infected partner, sharing or re-using needles (for example, sharing needles for illegal drug use or re-using needles that are not properly sterilized for acupuncture, tattoos, or ear/body piercing), or from an infected mother to her newborn baby during delivery.