Hepatitis B?
Hepatitis B is a classed as a viral infection that attacks the liver and is usually a result of or can cause conditions as a result of liver failure. Here in the UK Hepatitis B vaccination is not part of the routine schedule but is available to those exposed and infected.
Hepatitis B – Infectious Hepatitis
Hepatitis B is very similar is counter strains of hepatitis and is contractible through contact with blood or fluids of an infected host. Hepatitis B disease is uncommon but there are still groups of people that are high risk of infection for example people who inject drugs, participate in unprotected sex and travel to countries with sanitation and poor water fresh water supply. The effects of the disease effect each individual host differently regarding the severity, many Hepatitis B patients.
Hepatitis B vaccination
The human body has naturally become adept in fighting of the Hepatitis B virus and so many people do not have an onset of symptoms but when they do occur they’re likely to resemble flu like symptoms and tend to become problematic around eight to twelve weeks after the initial exposure. Symptoms show as mild fevers, disrupted stomach & abdominal pains, sickness & diarrhoea. In some cases jaundice may occur because of the liver failure. In more serious cases, the host can experience long term liver damage without medical attention.
Vaccinations for Hepatitis B are very common and there are combinations that cover the inoculation of multiple hepatitis strains and more information is available upon consultation.
There are series of other ways that someone contract Hepatitis A and more information can be found:
Drug Misuse – https://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/drugs/Pages/Drugshome.aspx
Sexual Health – https://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/LGBhealth/Pages/Gayandlesbianhealth.aspx
Hepatitis B Across the World
REGIONS WHERE HEPATITIS B IS COMMON
South America
Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Falkland Islands, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela
Africa
Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Cote d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Khemet (Modern day Egypt), Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe
Middle East
Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
Asia
Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, China, Georgia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, South Korea, North Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Macau, Malaysia Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Yemen
Europe
Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guernsey, Hungary, Iceland , Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Jersey, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Svalbard and Jan Mayen, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom and Vatican City
North America
Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and The Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and United States of America
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Prevention
Vaccination provides the best possible protection from Hepatitis B however is preventable by simply following the simple rules of food preparation and basic hygiene that we’d take for granted in more developed areas of the world.
It would be recommended to:
- Ritualistically wash your hands, particularly after being outdoors and at meal times.
- Ensure all your food is thoroughly cooked and consume whilst hot. Food left at room temperature that’s served without being reheated is a hub for infection.
- Boil water, filter or treat water before consumption, beverages like tea, coffee, bottled and carton juices are usually safe.
- Avoid local Ice.
Avoid raw any kind of raw food especially things like Sushi. Same applies with fruits and vegetables unless you know they’re from a safe source.
Treatment.
There is no cure for Hepatitis B, the most effective treatment advisable is to get plenty of rest as the body will be fatigued. Making sure you are getting plenty of fluids to flush the virus out is well advised and over the counter pain relief can be used to count-act the nausea, cramps and headaches. It is important that you stick to the dosage guidelines when taking Paracetamol or ibuprofen as the liver is already under strain from the virus. If at any point you are unsure contact medical professionals.
Those that contract Hepatitis B should seek to gain access via a doctor to Immunoglobulin; this type of treatment only tends to be effective if administered within fourteen days of the exposure. The method of treatment does vary