IntroductionHepatitis B, an infectious disease caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV, a DNA virus), was formerly called serum hepatitis, inoculation hepatitis and post-transfusion hepatitis. HBV infection can cause acute, fulminant, or chronic hepatitis, sometimes even resulting in an asymptomatic chronic carrier state, aside from hepatocellular carcinoma and liver cirrhosis (Davis 179). The disease is transmitted when an individual comes into contact with infected blood or objects. It can also be transmitted from an infected mother to her child during or after birth (Zuckerman et al. 211). Transmission can also occur through accidental inoculation from infected needles and hospital equipment, intravenous drug abuse, body piercing, tattooing, and mouth-to-mouth kissing (Zuckerman et al. 210). The risk of hepatitis B is particularly high among people with multiple sexual partners and among homosexuals. The HBV virus appears in morphologically different forms in the serum of infected individuals. HBV infection has an incubation period of approximately 75 days. Systemic symptoms of the disease include fatigue, fever, dyspepsia, arthralgia, malaise, and rash, while local symptoms include hepatomegaly, jaundice, dark urine, and pale stools (Davis 179 Zuckerman et al. Anatomical/physiological/biochemical changes that lead to diseaseHepatitis B results from cellular injury to the liver, subsequently affecting its metabolic functions. However, HBV is not cytopathic per se. The pathogenesis of hepatitis B results from interactions between the host immune system and the virus. The host immune system targets HBV in liver cells (hepatocytes), inadvertently causing liver damage. HBV-derived proteins (...... middle of article ......BeAg), bilirubin levels and platelet counts (Pyrsopoulos and Reddy). The prognosis of the disease can be established by calculating the prognostic index based on the status of these six variables. Conclusion HBV infection is complex and affects a large population worldwide. The discovery of the Australia antigen (HBsAg) in 1965 by Blumberg et al. (1965) paved the way for rapid progress in understanding and combating disease (cited in Zuckerman et al. 210). Liver function tests help estimate the extent of damage to the liver during HBV infection. Diagnosis is based on detection of specific viral antigens in serum. There are active and passive vaccination options for disease prophylaxis. However, it is always better to exercise caution regarding the parenteral, sexual and other routes of transmission of the disease for effective prevention and prophylaxis of the disease..