Hepatitis B is a viral infection that leads to inflammation of the liver. It is caused when a person is infected with the Hepatitis B virus (HBV).
This disease is more infectious than HIV because it is very easily transmitted by blood and other body fluids. Once infected with the Hepatitis B virus, approximately 10% of the people develop a chronic permanent infection.
Hepatitis B is very common in Asia, China, Philippines, Africa and the Middle East. The overall incidence of reported Hepatitis B cases is 2/10,000 individuals, but the true incidence may be higher, because many cases do not cause symptoms and go undiagnosed and unreported.
A positive blood test for the Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) indicates that the person has an active hepatitis infection.
Most people do not experience any symptoms during the acute phase of Hepatitis B. However, some people might develop symptoms like jaundice, dark urine, fatigue, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.
The Hepatitis B virus can also cause a chronic infection of the liver that can later develop into liver cirrhosis or liver cancer.
There is no specific treatment for acute Hepatitis B. Bed rest along with adequate nutritional balance and replacement of fluids is recommended. Chronic Hepatitis B can be treated with drugs, including interferon and antiviral agents.
Top 10 Facts about Hepatitis B
Hepatitis B infection is considered to be the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the world, alongside heart disease and road accidents
It is estimated that approximately 257 million people are chronically infected by the disease
According to the Hepatitis B Foundation report, nearly 2 billion people are affected by Hepatitis B and around 10 – 30 million people are newly infected each year. It is estimated that India has around 37 million HBV carriers and these carriers are prevalent in among tribal communities
According to Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1.25 million Americans have already been infected with Hepatitis B virus and more than 2 million Americans are chronically infected
It is considered to be 100 times more infectious than HIV/AIDS and can survive nearly 7 days in the infected environment
The virus is highly infectious and can thereby spread through blood and various body fluids such as saliva, seminal fluids and the like
Every year around 1 million people die of Hepatitis B, in 2016, alone 1.34 million deaths were reported
Every year around 5,000 to 6,000 American deaths were caused by Hepatitis B related liver complications, approximately around 2 people die every minute from Hepatitis B infection
The virus can also be passed onto infants or children by infected mothers during pregnancy, blood products transfusion, or human contact. Hepatitis B is also responsible for more premature deaths worldwide than HIV and malaria
According to the CDC, all infants should get the first shot of Hepatitis B vaccine shortly after birth and about three shots of this vaccine can provide a lifetime protection
There is no cure for this infection, but early diagnosis and treatment can slow the progression of cirrhosis, reduce the incidence of liver cancer and improve long-term survival.
References
WHO FACTS - (http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs204/en/)
HEPATITIS B FOUNDATION - (http://www.hepb.org/what-is-hepatitis-b/what-is-hepb/facts-and-figures/
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Tackling the Hepatitis B Disease Burden in India - (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4298630/
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