<prompt> About hepatitis B, false statement is:Veical transmission is more impoant than horizontalCommunicable period lasts for monthsVirus can be found in blood 1 month before jaundiceAge of onset determines the prognosis  <response>: Ans. a Veical transmission is more impoant than horizontal Epidemiology of HBV Endemic throughout the world Based on the carrier stage, countries can be divided into three categories: High Endemicity: 8 Veical transmission is more common Intermediate Endemicity: 2-8 India belongs to this category. Veical Horizontal transmission Low Endemicity: 2 European countries Horizontal transmission is more common Mode of transmission: Inoculation of infected blood or blood products, sexual contacts, veical Mother to fetus. Overall greatest number of cases results from heterosexual transmission. In India blood transfusion related infections are equally common. Period of communicability: Virus is present in body secretions and blood during the incubation period for a month before jaundice and acute phase of disease. Period of communicability is usually several months occasionally years in chronic carriers or until disappearance of HBsAg. Outome of HBV infection is age dependent with chances of acute hepatitis is directly propoional to age and occurs in 1 of perinatal, 10 of early childhood and 30 of late 5 years age HBV infection. Development of chronic HBV infection is inversely related to age and occurs in 95 of infants infected perinatally, 5-10 infected after 5 years of age. Remember: Period of infectivity for HAV: 2 weeks before and 1 week after the onset of jaundice. 