Update on Diagnosis, Management, and Prevention of Hepatitis B Virus Infection

Viral hepatitis is a disease with multiple causes that was first described in the fifth century BC. When Hippocrates described epidemic jaundice, he was undoubtedly referring to persons infected with acute hepatitis B virus HBV as well as other agents capable of infecting the liver. Epidemics of jaundice have been described throughout history and were particularly common during various wars in the 19th and 20th centuries. While many of these outbreaks were due to hepatitis A, it is likely that epidemic transmission of hepatitis B also occurred in settings where the use of blood-containing products was common.