Be aware of Hepatitis B-

“AM”, was a young energetic man in his twenties. With great zeal he went to the blood bank to donate blood voluntarily to save the life of a person. But he received the shock of his life when he was told that his blood cannot be accepted as it is positive for hepatitis B. Nonplussed he asked the doctor that he has never had any sickness beyond flu till then, how can he be positive for some infection? Detailed questioning revealed that he had been on a holiday some months ago where he had some, “fun”, with girls around. Little did he realize at that time that the unprotected intercourse done would infect him with hepatitis B. Hepatitis B is a disease caused by hepatitis B virus, where there is chronic infection and inflammation of the liver cells. It is a matter of concern in developing countries of Asia and Africa, where due to ignorance people are exposed to the infection. The virus after entering the body multiplies and spreads in various body fluids, i.e. blood, semen, e.t.c. The main mode of acquiring and transmitting the infection is through unprotected sexual intercourse. Transfusion of blood or blood products contaminated with the virus forms another mode of spread of the infection. Apart from this, infection also occurs due to injections by contaminated syringe and needles. In fact intravenous injections by drug addicts are a major reason for prevalence of hepatitis B in developed countries. Contaminated razors can also infect a person. Patients of kidney failure often develop Hepatitis B, when put on dialysis. Hepatitis B also spreads from mother to the baby across the placenta during pregnancy. HIV and Hepatitis B often coexist in an individual as both are spread by the same routes. Presence of one infection facilitates the acquisition of another. In some persons, the infection subsides spontaneously without causing any illness. But they still carry the virus and are capable of transmitting it to others. The illness is manifested in the form of yellow discoloration of the eyes and urine. Along with it, one develops loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, weakness and enlargement of the liver. Acute liver failure can occur leading to sudden death. The disease progresses to further damage the liver cells leading to chronic complications like cirrhosis of liver and liver cancer. This may develop years after the initial infection. Cirrhosis is manifested by swelling over the body due to protein deficiency, deficiency of clotting factors results in bleeding from various sites in the body. Kidney failure sets in the later stages and this stage invariably progresses to coma, liver failure and death. Alcoholism accelerates the liver damage and sickness due to hepatitis B. Diagnosis is established by serological tests. Antiviral drugs are available for treatment of Hepatitis B infection, but are useful only in the early stages of infection, i.e. within 2 to 3 days. Later on, only palliative treatment can be done, i.e. keeping the patient well nourished and symptom free. Liver transplant is another option after chronic damage to the liver, but is yet a far fetched dream for many sufferers. Disciplined and prudent sexual activity is important in prevention of many diseases including Hepatitis B. In Rwanda, blood and products are screened meticulously before being used for transfusion. But somewhere else one should be very careful and take any transfusion only if unavoidable, lest it may carry Hepatitis B virus. While taking a haircut or pedicure, cleanliness of the instruments should be ensured to prevent infection by Hepatitis B. Similarly, one should take injections only when absolutely unavoidable and make sure that clean disposable syringe and needles are used. If somebody is suffering from hepatitis B in the family, the caregivers should be careful in handling the patient. All body fluids should be disposed off after pouring some disinfectant. Soiled clothes and linen needs to be washed with hot water and dried adequately in strong sunlight or with hot iron. Hepatitis B vaccination is available for prevention of this disease. High risk groups like injection drug addicts, family members of a patient, e.t.c. are advised to take the injection for prevention. Babies when vaccinated with hepatitis B vaccine are protected from this disease in later life. E-mail-rachna212002@yahoo.co.uk