Hepatitis B
The hepatitis B virus can cause an acute illness that recovers quickly without causing long-term liver damage. However, it can also cause a chronic illness that lasts more than six months, sometimes for life, with symptoms that come and go. This may cause cirrhosis and liver cancer.
It's estimated that:
· Around 1 million people are infected with hepatitis B every year in Europe
· One in three people around the world has had the infection at some time
· It's the ninth most common cause of death worldwide, killing around 2 million people each year
· Hepatitis B is most common in the Far East, the Middle East, Africa and southern Europe. Approximately * 1 in 1,000 people is believed to have hepatitis B in the UK.
Ways of transmitting hepatitis B
· Unprotected sexual intercourse.
· Sharing contaminated needles for drug use.
· Accidental injury with an infected needle.
· Contaminated needles used for tattooing, body piercing or acupuncture.
· Sharing razors.
· Blood transfusion or medical treatment (in countries where blood screening isn't routine or where medical equipment isn't sterilised adequately).
How's it spread?
Hepatitis B virus is most commonly transmitted through blood-to-blood contact. This may be through unprotected sexual intercourse, the sharing of contaminated needles by drugs users, accidental injury with a contaminated needle, if needles used for tattooing, body piercing or acupuncture are contaminated, and sharing razors. Only a tiny amount of blood is needed to transmit the virus because it's so infectious.
The hepatitis B virus may also be present in saliva, vaginal secretions and other bodily fluids.
In countries where screening of blood products isn't routine or where medical equipment isn't adequately sterilised, hepatitis B may be transmitted during medical treatment.
Many people contract hepatitis B while on holiday, when unprotected sex, experimenting with drugs and accidents needing medical treatment are far more likely.
Symptoms
The incubation period of the hepatitis B virus before symptoms develop is between six weeks and six months. Roughly speaking, one-third of infections produce no symptoms and the infection is called silent. In another third of cases, the infection causes mild symptoms similar to those of a flu-like illness, with weakness, aches, headache, fever, loss of appetite, diarrhoea, jaundice, nausea and vomiting.
In the final third of cases, the infection can cause severe illness that last many months. In addition to the flu-like symptoms, there's abdominal pain, diarrhoea and jaundice.
Jaundice occurs in hepatitis infections because the liver becomes unable to remove a substance called bilirubin from the blood. This is a pigment that builds up in the body, causing the skin and whites of the eyes to turn yellow.
Rarely, rapid liver failure develops, which may need a life-saving liver transplant.
Treatment
The majority of people with hepatitis B don't need specific treatment other than rest and they eventually make a full recovery.
If the infection lasts more than six months (chronic hepatitis infection), a hospital liver specialist may recommend an antiviral drug treatment called alpha interferon. This treatment aims to reduce the risk of permanent liver damage (cirrhosis) and liver cancer.
Who should be vaccinated?
· Family and household members of an infected person.
· People whose job may expose them to infected blood (eg, healthcare workers).
· People travelling to countries where they may be exposed to hepatitis B infection.
· Babies born to infected mothers.
· Injecting drug users.
· People who have unprotected sex with different partners.
· Prisoners.
Prevention
The people most at risk of contracting hepatitis B are injecting drug users, people who have unprotected sex with different partners, close family members of someone with the infection, babies born to infected mothers and travellers to high-risk countries who come into contact with infected blood and other bodily fluids.
Hepatitis B is considered an occupational hazard for healthcare workers, the police and the emergency services.
When having any body piercing, tattoo or acupuncture, make sure the business is registered with the local authority, that the needles used are disposable and that an autoclave is used for any equipment that's sterilised. If the proprietor cannot confirm these, go elsewhere.
Normal social contact carries no risk of infection. You can't catch hepatitis B from toilet seats or by touching an infected person. Clothing with the virus is thought to be killed by a normal hot wash in a washing machine, and by washing-up liquid and hot water for plates and cutlery.
There's an effective vaccination to protect people from hepatitis B infection. It's available from your GP or nurse, who will advise you whether you need it.
Family and other household members of an infected person should be vaccinated against hepatitis B. Healthcare workers, the police, the emergency services and anyone who is likely to come in contact with infected blood through their job should also be vaccinated.
