Hepatitis B and Everything You Need to Know About This Vaccine-Preventable Disease

Hepatitis B is a liver infection caused by the hepatitis B virus (HPV). There are two other types of hepatitis viruses: hepatitis A and hepatitis C. Hepatitis can cause liver inflammation. Hepatitis B is a curable disease that can be prevented with a vaccine. It can affect a person either for a few weeks, causing less damage or chronic infection, lifelong sickness. The seriousness of the contagion is defined by the spread of the virus in the liver. If the infection is widespread in the liver, it then causes chronic hepatitis or cirrhosis. WHO estimated that the African region is the highest infected area of hepatitis, with 6.2% of the population infected? Omgflix

Hepatitis is transmitted through blood or semen. HBV can survive in the outer atmosphere for seven days. If the virus enters the body in these seven days, it will still damage the liver if the person is not vaccinated. The virus can enter a body through various means of transmission:

When an infected woman gives birth to a child, the virus transmits to the child. However, the baby can be vaccinated, keeping them safe. Omgflix Unprotected sexual intercourse with an infected person can cause infection. The virus can enter the body through that person’s semen, blood, saliva, or vaginal secretions. When old/unsterilized syringes or needles are shared between an infected and non-infected person, there is an exposure to blood transmission. In such cases, there are high chances of virus transmission.

 Accepting open-source blood or contact with infected blood also causes the transmission of the virus and leads to infection.

However, the virus cannot spread through air or water. It cannot be transmitted through breastfeeding, kissing, holding hands, or sneezing.

There are high chances (80%-90%) for a one-year-old child to get infected with chronic infections. The chances decrease as children age. A six-year-old has a 50%-60% chance of getting a chronic infection. An adult has only a 5% chance.

Most newly-infected people do not show any symptoms. A few show mild/chronic symptoms like: