A consultant Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist with the Godfrey Okoye University Teaching Hospital (GOUNTH), Enugu, Dr Adiri Winfred, has warned that Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) is 100 times more infectious than HIV.
Winfred gave the warning while educating some Enugu residents on the dangers of Hepatitis, especially that of B and C, organised by GOUNTH and sponsored by Emzor Vaccines in commemoration of “2023 World Hepatitis Day”, with the theme “One Life, One Liver”, which held last week in Enugu. Participants were offered free Hepatitis test.
She described the hepatitis B as dangerous due to the fact that it had no cure, adding that its treatment was to reduce the virus.
The expert said the available drugs cannot eradicate the virus, stressing that one thing about it is “when integrated into patient’s DNA, it becomes difficult for eradication.
“The drug we have can reduce the viral load of the patient from having liver cirrhosis and liver cancer that seemed to be the rising issue in our environment.
“A lot of people have died from the complications arising from Hepatitis B virus and that is why we are advocating that governments should aid patients down with the virus.
“This free screening will help to enlighten those with symptoms of Hepatitis B to come for treatment,” she said.
Winfred further explained that Hepatitis B virus can be transmitted through exposure to infective blood, sex, and other body fluids, infected mothers to infants at the time of birth, from family member to infants in early childhood.
Others are through transfusions of contaminated blood, use of contaminated injections during medical procedures, and through injecting drug use, playing with sharp objects and clipper.
“The symptoms of acute and chronic hepatitis B include fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dark urine, light-coloured stools, joint pain, and jaundice,” she said.
She, however, advised Nigerians on the need for hepatitis B vaccination to prevent the virus.
Earlier in a welcome address, the Chief Medical Director of GOUNTH, Prof Cajethan Nwadinigwe, said the exercise was a partnership/public enlightenment and Screening programme.
He said the GOUNTH had a mandate like any other teaching hospitals in the country to treat patients through curative and preventive ways.
“That is why we are emphasizing on the issue of health talks, people examining their systems to make sure that any preventable ailments in our environment get the desired awareness.
“Detecting them early is very advantageous and as teaching hospital, we are at the fore front of disseminating this information to citizens because if they are healthy, they are going to be more productive and help to develop this country.
“That is why we are partnering with every stakeholder that will help us deliver on our mandate,” he said.
He added that the exercise would be an annual event, stressing that the crowd at the hospital defied all odds to be tested of hepatitis free of charge.
The World Hepatitis Day is being celebrated every July 28 to raise awareness about viral hepatitis.
——-Causes Of Hepatitis B——–
Hepatitis B infection is caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). The virus is passed from person to person through blood, semen or other body fluids. It does not spread by sneezing or coughing.
Common ways that HBV can spread are:
- Sexual contact. You may get hepatitis B if you have unprotected sex with someone who is infected. The virus can pass to you if the person’s blood, saliva, semen or vaginal secretions enter your body.
- Sharing of needles. HBV easily spreads through needles and syringes contaminated with infected blood. Sharing IV drug paraphernalia puts you at high risk of hepatitis B.
- Accidental needle sticks. Hepatitis B is a concern for health care workers and anyone else who comes in contact with human blood.
- Mother to child. Pregnant women infected with HBV can pass the virus to their babies during childbirth. However, the newborn can be vaccinated to avoid getting infected in almost all cases. Talk to your provider about being tested for hepatitis B if you are pregnant or want to become pregnant.
Acute vs. Chronic hepatitis B
Hepatitis B infection may be short-lived, also called acute. Or it might last a long time, also known as chronic.
- Acute hepatitis B infection lasts less than six months. Your immune system likely can clear acute hepatitis B from your body, and you should recover completely within a few months. Most people who get hepatitis B as adults have an acute infection, but it can lead to chronic infection.
- Chronic hepatitis B infection lasts six months or longer. It lingers because your immune system can’t fight off the infection. Chronic hepatitis B infection may last a lifetime, possibly leading to serious illnesses such as cirrhosis and liver cancer. Some people with chronic hepatitis B may have no symptoms at all. Some may have ongoing fatigue and mild symptoms of acute hepatitis.
The younger you are when you get hepatitis B — particularly newborns or children younger than 5 — the higher your risk of the infection becoming chronic. Chronic infection may go undetected for decades until a person becomes seriously ill from liver disease.
Risk factors
Hepatitis B spreads through contact with blood, semen or other body fluids from an infected person. Your risk of hepatitis B infection increases if you:
- Have unprotected sex with multiple sex partners or with someone who’s infected with HBV
- Share needles during IV drug use
- Are a man who has sex with other men
- Live with someone who has a chronic HBV infection
- Are an infant born to an infected mother
- Have a job that exposes you to human blood
- Travel to regions with high infection rates of HBV, such as Asia, the Pacific Islands, Africa and Eastern Europe
