I fully agree with Thomas. Transmission risk is very low in this case, and vaccination against HBV is always a good idea unless you have a medical condition that prevents it (those are quite rare). The vaccine is safe and effective in ~93-95% of people, meaning it is one of the most successful vaccines ever developed!
John
Hello, I posted previously about my test results and I have recovered from an acute infection (results below), however I am still worried I can pass the infection onto others.
HBcAb Positive
HBsAg Negative
HBV DNA Not detected
If someone with an open wound gets in contact with my blood, can they be infected? Understandably, I cannot give blood or donate organs, so does that mean there is still a risk of passing on the infection to others?
Thanks
Dear @newbie,
With undetectable HBV DNA and negative HBsAg, the chance is vanishingly small that anyone in contact with small amounts of your blood will be exposed to HBV.
Thomas
Thank you for your response @ThomasTu ! So is it the volume of bodily fluids that increases the risk (which is why donating blood and organs are not allowed)? I’m very aware I still have the virus in my body and I don’t know how I got it in the first place, so I really worry about spreading it to other people!
Hi @Newbie,
Yes, to a large degree it is the volume of bodily fluids. The lower limit of quantification of the PCR tests is 10 IU/mL, but the infectious dose is between 100 and 15 IU when injected into someone’s circulation (e.g. through blood transfusion - https://gut.bmj.com/content/68/2/313). Therefore, risk of transmission is present if there is transfer of 10 to 1.5 mL of blood if you are undetectable. This is negligible risk in the context of any day-to-day contact, or even intimate sexual contact.
It’s worth nothing that the risk is likely to be much lower if you have anti-HBs antibodies, because this will neutralise any remaining circulating virus.
Hope this helps,
Thomas
Thank you for your reply @ThomasTu , but I am a little confused by the numbers. Can you please explain what you mean by 100 and 15 IU of infectious dose? And 10 to 1.5 mL of blood? Sorry I’m just a bit confused because usually a range of numbers is between a smaller number and a bigger number? Thanks
Hi @Newbie,
You are interpreting this correctly. Thomas just happened to put the big number first. His statement is the same as if he’d written “between 1.5 and 10 mL of blood” and “between 15 and 100 IU”.
John.
1.5 ml less then half a teaspoon! Or 2 teaspoons. I thought it would be more than that. I get blood noses. Thank God most people are vaccinated in Australia.
Hi @ThomasTu , regarding your comment about antibodies, if antibodies are low, will that still neutralise any remaining circulating virus? My antibody levels are 10-100 miu/ml and my doctor told me I am not immune so does it need to be at least 100? Thank you for your help.
Yes, @john.tavis is correct, I got things backward. My excuse is that everything here in the Southern Hemisphere is upside-down 
Yes, but to get that amount of fluid into your veins is a difficult ask unless you’re really trying. Our skin and immune system do a good job at keeping the bad things out!
10 mIU/mL of anti-HBs is the widely used cut-off for protection. If this is your level, then you should be considered immune and protected. I would expect any low level of virus to be neutralised by this level of antibodies.
Dear @Godsown,
If there is a break in the skin and release of fluid, then there is a risk that Hep B can be spread. How severe that risk is depends on your viral load.
Hope this helps,
Thomas
Even when the hep b negative adult don’t have a cut?
No, both the person with Hep B and the person without Hep B need to have breaks in their skin for transmission to occur efficiently in this case.
I can’t appreciate you enough for your good work.God bless you 
Why is it that children 5 years and below can easily contact hbv compared to adult?
Hello everyone. It feels so great to see people like me. I don’t know but why people don’t like to talk about hep b? Is there short of knowledge or they don’t want to.
I am here as I recently got diagnosed with hep B. I got married but I came to know about this after my marriage. I am in constant thought if my husband got infected from it or not.
I got my viral load test done and it was less than 3 IU/mL. If there is anyone who can help me on this, please help. It would be of great help
Dear @Godsown,
This is a great question, and I think the real answer is we don’t really know. There are hypotheses that it is because the immune system is “less mature” and is less likely to clear the infection, but it’s not clear in exactly what way it is less mature.
Dear @Aradhana_Tiwari,
Thank you for your question and welcome to the forum. I hope you can find the support you need here.
Regarding your concern, with a viral load that low, it is unlikely that you have exposed your husband to HBV through casual contact. But it is worthwhile that he gets a vaccination so that you both have peace of mind that you are protecting him from transmission.
Hope this helps,
Thomas