Hepatitis B is contracted primarily through contact with infectious body fluids such as blood, semen, and vaginal fluids. Key ways of transmission include:

• Direct contact with infected blood, for example through sharing needles or syringes.
• Sexual contact without protection with an infected person.
• From an infected mother to her baby during childbirth.
• Use of unsterilized tattooing, piercing, or medical equipment.
• Sharing personal items like razors, toothbrushes, or other sharp objects contaminated with infected blood.

It is important to note that hepatitis B is not spread through casual contact such as hugging, coughing, sneezing, or sharing food or utensils. The virus can survive outside the body for at least 7 days, which makes indirect transmission via contaminated objects possible.