Hepatitis B

Overview

Do you know that a person can be infected with hepatitis B but they won't know? Why? Because most people that are newly or chronically infected do not have symptoms. Hence, they go about infecting other people without knowing it, and this puts them at high risk of cirrhosis and liver cancer, as the liver will be deteriorating  silently.

Hepatitis B is a deadly liver disease caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). This disease can be acute - very severe and lasting for a short time, or chronic - persisting for a long time. In 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that 296 million people around the world were living with chronic hepatitis B infection, and 1.5 million new cases were detected each year. In the same year, due to hepatitis B, 820, 000 people around the world died of cirrhosis ( scarring of the liver) and hepatocellular carcinoma (primary cancer of the liver). In Africa, 81 million people are chronically infected with hepatitis B.

Mode of Transmission

In countries where a large number of people are infected with hepatitis B, the most common mode of transmission is from mother to child at birth (perinatal transmission) or through exposure to infected blood (horizontal transmission), especially from an infected child to an uninfected child during the first 5 years of life. The chronic form of the disease is common in infants infected from their mothers or before the age of 5 (WHO)

The other ways hepatitis B can be spread include:

• accidental needle stick injury among health workers

• reuse of contaminated needles, syringes or other sharp objects

• tattooing and piercing

• exposure to infected blood and body fluids such as saliva, menstrual, vaginal and seminal fluids.

• sex with unvaccinated persons.

Signs and Symptoms

Although most people do not feel the signs and symptoms of Hepatitis B, some people develop acute illness with symptoms that last for weeks. Some of the symptoms are jaundice, which is the yellowing of the skin and eyes, severe tiredness, dark urine, nausea (a feeling of sickness with the tendency to vomit), vomiting and abdominal pain. It is important to note that people with acute hepatitis B can develop acute liver failure resulting in death, while those with chronic hepatitis B can develop cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. These are advanced liver diseases that lead to high morbidity and mortality

Treatment

Acute Hepatitis B does not have a specific treatment. Hence, an infected person should eat meals with the right nutritional balance, drink lots of water and stay away from unnecessary medicines like paracetamol. However, the chronic Hepatitis B can be treated with oral antiviral drugs, and the treatment is for life. The WHO recommends tenofovir and entecavir as the most potent drugs to suppress the hepatitis B virus.

Prevention

To prevent Hepatitis B, the World Health Organizations made the following recommendations:

• infants should be vaccinated within 24hrs after they are born, followed by 2-3 doses of the vaccines 4 weeks apart for complete vaccination.

• antiviral prophylaxis (prevention treatment) to prevent MTC (mother-to-child) transmission.

• Implementation of blood safety plans

• Safer sexual behaviour, like reducing the number of sexual partners and using condoms during sex.

Conclusion

In conclusion, prevention, they say, is better than cure. To avoid getting infected with Hepatitis B, be aware of the modes of transmission that I mentioned above and observe the prevention measures, so that you and your loved ones will not be infected with this deadly virus.