This info is from the American Academy of Pediatrics: Hepatitis B is a viral infection that attacks the liver and can cause both acute and chronic disease. Chronic infection over the course of a lifetime can lead to liver damage, liver failure, liver cancer, or even death. Hepatitis B is transmitted through blood or body fluids, and perinatal exposure typically occurs during labor and delivery. Newborns can acquire hepatitis B at birth (perinatal hepatitis B) if the mother is infected with the h