Which statement about hepatitis B virus is true?

Which statement about hepatitis B virus is true?

• A. It can survive for more than 1 week on fomites
• B. It is the most common form of hepatitis in the world
• C. Contaminated water & shellfish are the major source
• D. Perinatally infected infants are likely to become carriers

Answer: (A)

Hepatitis B virus is unusually durable outside the body, so it can remain infectious on fomites for a prolonged period. It can survive on dried blood on surfaces for more than a week, which means indirect transmission through contaminated equipment, surfaces, or shared items is a real concern if proper cleaning and disinfection aren’t performed. This environmental stability underpins the importance of meticulous infection-control practices, including regular cleaning with effective disinfectants and strict adherence to standard precautions, in all settings where exposure to blood or body fluids could occur. Other statements aren’t as accurate for HBV. For example, hepatitis A is a common cause of acute hepatitis worldwide, but HBV’s key risk is vertical and parenteral transmission rather than water or shellfish contamination. Perinatally infected infants are indeed at high risk of chronic carriage, but the question’s best true statement about the virus’s behavior in the environment is its ability to survive on surfaces for more than a week.

Hepatitis B virus is unusually durable outside the body, so it can remain infectious on fomites for a prolonged period. It can survive on dried blood on surfaces for more than a week, which means indirect transmission through contaminated equipment, surfaces, or shared items is a real concern if proper cleaning and disinfection aren’t performed. This environmental stability underpins the importance of meticulous infection-control practices, including regular cleaning with effective disinfectants and strict adherence to standard precautions, in all settings where exposure to blood or body fluids could occur.

Other statements aren’t as accurate for HBV. For example, hepatitis A is a common cause of acute hepatitis worldwide, but HBV’s key risk is vertical and parenteral transmission rather than water or shellfish contamination. Perinatally infected infants are indeed at high risk of chronic carriage, but the question’s best true statement about the virus’s behavior in the environment is its ability to survive on surfaces for more than a week.