hepatitis b is not spread by food or casual contact. instead, hepatitis b is spread by blood or body fluids from an infected person. a baby can get it from its mother during childbirth, and it can also be spread by sexual contact, use of street drugs, and unsafe medical care. some people just have hepatitis b for a little while and then suppress the infection. others can be infected for life, usually with few or no symptoms for many years. hepatitis b sometimes damages the liver severely, and can cause cancer and cirrhosis.