Transmission
Hepatitis D can be found in the blood, semen, vaginal fluids, and other body fluids of people who are infected. Transmission happens when infected body fluid enters another person’s body. The hepatitis D virus will remain in the body only if hepatitis B virus is also present.
Hepatitis D virus is most commonly transmitted in the same ways as hepatitis B.
- Sex with an infected partner
- Contact with the blood of an infected person
- Sharing of needles, syringes, razors, or toothbrushes with an infected person
- Mother-to-child transmission during childbirth
There are two types of hepatitis D infection:
- Co-infection, in which a person is infected with hepatitis D and hepatitis B at the same time
- Superinfection, in which a person who is already infected with chronic hepatitis B is then infected with hepatitis D
Hepatitis D is not transmitted through shaking hands, coughing, sneezing, breastfeeding, or sharing cups and utensils.