What is hepatitis b symptoms and ways to contract it? my boyfriend whom i have unprotected sex with just let slip that he has it. we have known eachother for 4 years and its never came up. i know if he knows he is supposed to tell me by law! correct?

There : There is no law that I am aware of where people are obligated to discuss disease status - even hiv. You can only catch hepatitis b from: - birth - mom to baby transmission - sharing needles with an infected person - having sex with an infected person - being in direct contact with the blood or open sores of an infected person - sharing a tooth brush or razor with an infected person (because of bleeding with those 2 activities) you cannot catch hepatitis b through breastfeeding, saliva, sharing utensils, hugging, kissing, touching, coughing or sneezing. 6-10% of adults with hepatitis b go on to have chronic hepatitis b (that means in 90-94% of people, it just goes away). 15-25% of people with chronic hepatitis b will go on to have liver disease. This means that even if you catch hepatitis b, odds are you'll be ok depending on your age or occupation, you may have been vaccinated against hepatitis b. It is now one of the recommended childhood vaccines and most kids finish their series by the time they are 1 years old! it is very safe and research has shown that it is not associated with any chronic illnesses such as ms. Receiving 3 doses of the vaccine will protect 90% of people against hepatitis b. If you have any other questions, contact your healthcare provider.

Get tested: There is a low probability that your BF is infectious. However, you could get tested, if the result is negative, get tested again in 6 months. If you are not infected, you may wish to get Hep B vaccine. Have a healthy diet, exercise, drink plenty of water, have safe sex, if you do, and get HPV vaccine, if you are younger than 45-years. Wish you good health!