This woman is NOT pregnant. She has Hepatitis B and is suffering from liver cancer. She died four months after this picture was taken (the average life expectancy after diagnosis of liver cancer is four months.)The Hepatitis B virus (germ)enters the blood stream, and attacks the liver. It can cause severe illness with ongoing liver damage. It spreads through contact with infected blood or body fluids, using un-sterilized needles, sexual contact with a person who has hepatitis B, and by sharing toothbrushes, razors, or washcloths.Babies can be infected during childbirth if mother is infected. Babies and young children can be infected if an infected person pre-chews the baby's food.
--Image Courtesy of Patricia Walker, MD, Ramsey Clinic Associates, St. Paul, MN--
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