High Risk Groups

The hepatitis B virus can infect infants, children, teens and adults. Although everyone can be at some risk for a hepatitis B infection, there are people who are at greater risk because of their ethnic background, occupation, or lifestyle choices.

The following list is a guide for screening high-risk groups, but it certainly doesn't represent all potential risk factors.

• Health care providers and emergency responders
• Sexually active heterosexuals (more than 1 partner in the past six months)
• Men who have sex with men
• Individuals diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease (STD)
• Illicit drug users (injecting, inhaling, snorting, pill popping)
• Sex contacts or close household members of an infected person
• Children adopted from countries where hepatitis B is common (Asia, Africa, South America, Pacific Islands, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East)
• Families of children adopted from the countries listed above
• Individuals emigrating from countries where hepatitis B is common (see above)
• Individuals born to parents who have emigrated from countries where hepatitis B is common (see above)
• ALL pregnant women
• Recipients of a blood transfusion before 1992
• Kidney dialysis patients and those in early renal failure
• Inmates of a correctional facility
• Staff and clients of institutions for the developmentally disabled
• Any individual who may have other risk factors not included on this list