hepagh

Hepatitis Resources Docummentaries

Key Facts about viral Hepatitis

Hepatitis A

What is Hepatitis A?

Hepatitis A is a liver disease caused by the Hepatitis A virus.

How do you get Hepatitis A?

Hepatitis A usually spreads when a person unknowingly ingests the virus from objects, food, or drinks contaminated by small, undetected amounts of stool from an infected person. In families, this may happen though dirty hands when an infected person prepares food for family members. Waterborne outbreaks, though infrequent, are usually associated with sewage-contaminated or inadequately treated water.

How long does Hepatitis A virus survive outside the body?

The Hepatitis A virus is able to survive outside the body for months. High temperatures, such as boiling or cooking food or liquids for at least 1 minute at 185°F (85°C), kill the virus, although freezing temperatures do not.

How serious is Hepatitis A?

Most people who get Hepatitis A feel sick for several weeks, but they usually recover completely and do not have lasting liver damage.

What are the signs and symptoms of Hepatitis A?

Symptoms of Hepatitis A range from mild to severe. Older children and adults typically have symptoms. If symptoms develop, they can appear abruptly and can include:

Fever
Fatigue
Loss of appetite
Nausea
Vomiting
Abdominal pain
Dark urine
Diarrhoea
Clay-colored stools
Joint pain
Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes)

Most children younger than age 6 do not have symptoms when they have Hepatitis A

Can a person spread Hepatitis A without having symptoms?

Yes. Many people, especially children, have no symptoms. In addition, a person can transmit the virus to others up to 2 weeks before symptoms appear.

Who is at risk of Hepatitis A?

Anyone who has not been vaccinated or previously infected can get infected with Hepatitis A virus. However, these group of people are highly at risk of Hepatitis A:

People with direct contact with someone who has Hepatitis A
Employees of early childhood centres
Injecting drug users
People with chronic liver disease or who are at risk of developing chronic liver disease.
Occupational groups who may be exposed to faeces
Health care workers
Sex industry workers
People working with sewerage and members of the armed forces.
Travellers to moderate- and high-risk countries
Men who have sex with men.

How will I know if I have Hepatitis A?

A doctor can determine if you have Hepatitis A by discussing your symptoms and taking a blood sample.

How is Hepatitis A treated?

Unvaccinated people who have been exposed recently (within 2 weeks) to the Hepatitis A virus should get the Hepatitis A vaccine or a shot of immune globulin to prevent severe illness. To treat the symptoms of Hepatitis A, doctors usually recommend rest, adequate nutrition, and fluids. Some people will need medical care in a hospital. It can take a few months before people with Hepatitis A begin to feel better.

Can Hepatitis A be prevented?

Yes. The best way to prevent Hepatitis A is through vaccination with the Hepatitis A vaccine. However, the most cost-effective preventive strategy is handwashing with soap and water after using the toilet or changing diapers, before and after preparing food and before eating.

The spread of Hepatitis A can also be reduced by:

Adequate supplies of safe drinking water.
Proper disposal of sewage within communities.
Personal hygiene practices such as regular hand-washing with safe water.

What is Hepatitis B?

Hepatitis B is an inflammation of the liver caused by the Hepatitis B virus.

How do you get Hepatitis B?

In highly endemic areas such as Ghana, Hepatitis B virus is most commonly spread from mother to child at birth, or through exposure to infected blood, especially from an infected child to an uninfected child during the first 5 years of life.

Hepatitis B is also transmitted through activities that involve puncture through the skin or mucosal contact with infectious blood or body fluids (e.g., menstrual fluid, vaginal fluid, seminal fluid, and saliva), including

Sex with an infected partner
Injection drug use that involves sharing needles, syringes, or drug-preparation equipment
Contact with blood or open sores of an infected person
Needle sticks or sharp instrument exposures
Sharing items such as razors or toothbrushes with an infected person
Blood transfusion (infected blood)

NOTE: Hepatitis B virus do not spread through food or water, sharing eating utensils, breastfeeding, hugging, kissing, hand holding, coughing, or sneezing.

NOTE: The hepatitis B virus can survive outside the body for at least 7 days. During this time, the virus can still cause infection if it enters the body of a person who is not protected by the vaccine.

What are the signs and symptoms of Hepatitis B?

NOTE:Most people do not experience any symptoms during the early phase of the infection. However, some people have acute illness with symptoms that last several weeks, including:

Fever
Loss of appetite
Joint pain
Yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice)
Dark urine
Extreme fatigue
Nausea and vomiting
Abdominal pain

NOTE:

A small subset of persons with acute Hepatitis (infection < 6 months) can develop acute liver failure, which can lead to death.
In some people, the Hepatitis B virus can also cause a chronic liver infection that can later develop into cirrhosis (a scarring of the liver) or liver cancer.

Who is at risk for Hepatitis B infection?

The following populations are at increased risk of becoming infected with HBV:

Infants born to infected mothers
Sex partners of infected persons
Men who have sex with men
Injection drug users
Household contacts or sexual partners of known persons with chronic HBV infection
Health care and public safety workers at risk for occupational exposure to blood or blood-contaminated body fluids
Hemodialysis patients
Prison inmates

How will I know if I have Hepatitis B?

Most people do not experience signs and symptoms. However, a number of blood tests are available to diagnose and monitor people with hepatitis B. These tests include:

HBsAg: Hepatitis B surface antigen
HBeAg: Hepatitis B envelope antigen
ALT: screen for active liver inflammation (and possible need for antiviral therapy)
AFP: screen for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)
HBV DNA: measures the amount of virus present in the blood. May be requested every few years.

Consult your doctor or our helpline for information on how to go about the test.

What should I do if I test Hepatitis B negative?

Ensure that you receive 3 shots of Hepatitis B vaccine from a credible source.
After the 3 shots, check your hepatitis B titre to be sure that you have built the required immunity.

What should I do if I test Hepatitis B positive?

Do not be scared. Consult a doctor in the nearest health facility or call our helpline.
Have regular liver check-up (every 6 months)
Avoid alcoholic beverages
Avoid smoking
Eat healthy meals

Is there a treatment for Hepatitis B?

Remember that not everyone diagnosed of Hepatitis B needs treatment. It is only those with high level of the virus and liver enzymes in the blood who may be candidates for treatment. There are effective antiviral treatments available that can stop the virus from multiplying in the liver, slow the progression of the disease to cirrhosis (scaring of the liver cells), reduce possible liver cancer, and improve long term survival of people with Hepatitis B. Consult your doctor immediately or call our helpline for support. But avoid unprescribed drugs and be careful with some herbal products in the market.

What is Hepatitis C?

Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by the Hepatitis C virus

How do you get Hepatitis C?

Hepatitis C virus is transmitted primarily through body fluids that contain blood. Possible exposures include:

Injection drug use
The reuse or inadequate sterilization of medical equipment, especially syringes and needles in healthcare settings
Transfusion of unscreened blood and blood products
Receipt of donated organs
Needlestick injuries in health care settings
Birth to Hepatitis C virus infected mother

Although infrequent, Hepatitis C virus can also be spread through:

Sex with Hepatitis C infected person
Sharing personal items contaminated with infectious blood, such as razors or toothbrushes
Other health care procedures that involve invasive procedures, such as injections
Unregulated tattooing

NOTE: Hepatitis C is not spread through breast milk, food, water or by casual contact such as hugging, kissing and sharing food or drinks with an infected person.

What are the signs and symptoms of Hepatitis C?

People with newly acquired Hepatitis C infection do not usually show symptoms or may have mild symptoms that are unlikely to prompt a visit to a health care professional. When symptoms do occur, they can include:

Fever
Fatigue
Dark urine
Clay-colored stool
Abdominal pain
Loss of appetite
Nausea
Vomiting
Joint pain
Jaundice

Who is at risk for Hepatitis C infection?

Populations at increased risk of HCV infection include:

People who inject drugs
People who use intranasal drugs
Recipients of infected blood products or invasive procedures in health-care facilities with inadequate infection control practices
Children born to mothers infected with HCV
People with sexual partners who are HCV-infected
People with HIV infection
Prisoners or previously incarcerated persons
People who have had tattoos or piercings

How will I know if I have Hepatitis C?

Due to the fact that Hepatitis C infection is usually without symptoms, few people are diagnosed during the early phase. Hepatitis C infection is diagnosed using the following tests:

Hepatitis C antigen test

This test looks for virus particles. It will give a positive or negative result. If negative it means the virus isn't present and you don't have hepatitis C. If positive it means the virus is present and you should speak to your doctor.

Antibody test (anti-hepatitis C)

This test looks to see if a person has ever been exposed to the virus. It doesn't determine whether the virus is present now or was there in the past. After you have had the virus this test will always be positive, even after they've been cured.

Hepatitis C viral load (HCV RNA)

This test counts the amount of virus particles present in someone's blood. If “not detected” then it means the person does not have hepatitis C. If the virus is present it will give a number (usually 10,000 - 8 million). If the virus is present, you should speak to your doctor on the relevance of treatment.

Is there a treatment for Hepatitis B?

Unlike Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C is 100% curable. Nevertheless, not everyone will require treatment as the immune response in some people will clear the infection. Consult your doctor.

How can we prevent hepatitis C infection?

There is no vaccine for hepatitis C, therefore prevention of HCV infection depends upon reducing the risk of exposure to the virus in health-care settings and in higher risk populations, for example, people who inject drugs, and through sexual contact.

The following list provides a limited example of primary prevention interventions recommended by WHO:

Hand hygiene: including surgical hand preparation, hand washing and use of gloves
Safe and appropriate use of health care injections
Safe handling and disposal of sharps and waste
Provision of comprehensive harm-reduction services to people who inject drugs including sterile injecting equipment
Testing of donated blood for hepatitis B and C
Promotion of correct and consistent use of condoms

Source

1. WHO (2018). Retrieved from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/hepatitis-a

2. CDC (2019). Retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/hav/index.htm

3. WHO (2018). Retrieved from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/hepatitis-b

4. CDC (2019). Retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/hav/index.htm

5. WHO (2018). https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/hepatitis-c" target="_blank

6. CDC (2019). Retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/hav/index.htm" target="_blank