WHAT IS HEPATITIS B?
Hepatitis B is a serious liver infection caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV) which attacks the liver thus causing both acute and chronic diseases. Hepatitis B is mostly transmitted through blood or other body fluids (like semen, vaginal fluids, etc) of an infected person.
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?
In most cases, they usually appear about one to four months after you've been infected and some individuals may not have any symptoms at the acute stage.
• Abdominal pain
• Dark urine
• Fever
• Joint pain
• Loss of appetite
• Nausea and vomiting
• Weakness and fatigue
• Yellowing of your skin and the whites of your eyes (jaundice)
HOW CAN IT BE CONTRACTED?
• Sexual contact: Through unprotected sex with an infected partner.
• Sharing of needles. Sharing (by drug addicts or playing kids) or accidental prick of a contaminated needles (health workers).
• Mother to child. Pregnant women infected with HBV can pass the virus to their babies during childbirth.
HOW CAN YOU PREVENT IT?
- Vaccination: is typically given as three injections over three months in Nigeria. The hepatitis B vaccine is recommended for newborns and adult.
- Know the HBV status of any sexual partner.
- Use of Condom
- Be cautious about body piercing and tattooing
WHAT OTHER COMPLICATIONS CAN ARISE FROM IT?
Having a chronic HBV infection can lead to serious complications, such as:
• Scarring of the liver (cirrhosis)
• Liver cancer
• Liver failure which would require a liver transplant necessary to sustain life.
• Other conditions such as kidney disease or inflammation of blood vessels.
CAN IT BE TREATED?
There is no specific treatment for acute hepatitis B. Therefore, care is aimed at maintaining comfort and adequate nutritional balance, including replacement of fluids lost from vomiting and diarrhoea.
Chronic hepatitis B infection can be treated with medicines, including oral antiviral agents. Treatment can slow the progression of cirrhosis, reduce incidence of liver cancer and improve long term survival.
PS: Go and get yourself and family tested today. Get them vaccinated once you test negative. If positive, start treatment immediately so that the viral load can be put in check.
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#ItHasNoCure