What can be done to prevent the infection?

Right now, there is no vaccine for hepatitis D. The best way to prevent the D virus is to prevent hepatitis B. This can be done by getting the hepatitis B vaccine, avoiding unsterile needles, and following safer sex guidelines.

What are the long-term effects of the infection?

Rarely, chronic liver disease and cirrhosis can occur. Cirrhosis is a serious disease that causes scarring of the liver. Severe hepatitis and cirrhosis may require a liver transplant and can result in death.

What are the risks to others?

A person with the hepatitis D virus can usually transmit both hepatitis B and hepatitis D. The viruses have been found in blood, saliva, semen, and vaginal secretions of infected individuals. They can be spread through sexual contact with an infected person, passed on to a newborn from an infected mother during childbirth, or transmitted by contact with infected blood or bodily fluids.