hepatitis B
noun
Note: The acute form of hepatitis B, a mild illness lasting several weeks to months, may progress to long-term or chronic infection often leading to liver damage, liver failure, or liver cancer.
called also serum hepatitis
Examples of hepatitis B in a Sentence
Arkansas Online, 17 Mar. 2026
Illinois also broke with federal vaccine recommendations on other occasions last year, deciding to continue to recommend hepatitis B vaccines for nearly all newborns and to continue to recommend COVID-19 vaccines for all children ages 6 to 23 months.
—Lisa Schencker, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2026
The decision halts an order by Kennedy — announced in January — to end broad recommendations for all children to be vaccinated against flu, rotavirus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, some forms of meningitis and RSV.
—Dallas Morning News, 16 Mar. 2026
The ruling also stayed any of the votes Kennedy’s ACIP has taken since June, including a vote to no longer recommend the hepatitis B vaccine for all newborns.
—Erika Edwards, NBC news, 16 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hepatitis B
Cite this Entry
“Hepatitis B.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hepatitis%20B. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
hepatitis B
noun
Note: The acute form of hepatitis B, a mild illness lasting several weeks to months, may progress to long-term or chronic infection often leading to liver damage, liver failure, or liver cancer.
called also homologous serum hepatitis, homologous serum jaundice, serum hepatitis
