Hepatitis D

October 2007     View PDF     En español

Can you prevent hepatitis D?

Yes. The best way to prevent getting HDV is by taking the HBV vaccine, which is safe to use in people with HIV. This is because HDV cannot live without HBV. So if you’ve never had HBV, talk to your doctor about taking the vaccine. Otherwise, if you have HBV, do not engage in personal habits that put you at risk, like those found in the next section, How do you get hepatitis D? You can also read the section How do you prevent hepatitis B? in Project Inform’s publication, Hepatitis B. Hopefully, a vaccine can be developed that will keep HDV disease from developing in people with chronic hepatitis B.