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Aids And Hepatitis B Overview
What Is The Risk Of Getting Aids Or Hepatitis B On The Job?
How many times today did you?
* handle blood?
* start an I.V. or draw blood?
* stick yourself with a needle?
* handle laundry or personal items of patients?
* touch a tabletop or record card with blood on it?
* touch a patient's skin lesions or body secretions?
Hepatitis B is more prevalent and infectious than AIDS. Here are a few case histories of
workers who contracted hepatitis B in the workplace.
A pediatric or nurse thought she was not at risk because she worked with children. One of
the
needle sticks she ignored was contaminated with the hepatitis B virus. She became infected
and
was out of work for five months.
A security guard helped a bleeding gunshot victim who was dumped on the hospital steps.
The
guard later was diagnosed with hepatitis B.
An orthopedic surgeon in Texas nicked his finger during a surgical procedure on a patient
who
was an unidentified hepatitis B carrier. Within days he was critically ill with fulminant
hepatitis and had to have a liver transplant.
A medical resident thought he had the flu, but continued to care for patients. When
finally
examined, his blood chemistry revealed greatly elevated liver function tests and hepatitis
B. His
condition deteriorated rapidly and he went into acute renal failure.
Fortunately, he recovered, but
How many patients did he Infect before he knew he had hepatitis B?
Did he transmit the disease to his wife or child?
He risked his life and his career because he chose not to be vaccinated. He thought he was
being careful and did not worry about contracting hepatitis B. Many health care
workers have died or required liver transplants as a result of hepatitis B
infection.
Hepatitis B Is More Prevalent And Infectious Than The Aids
Virus
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HEPATITIS |
HIV AIDS |
| New Infections Per Year |
200,000 |
76,802 (July - 94 June 95) |
| Health Care Workers Infected |
5,100 each year |
46 certain; 97 probable |
| Health Care Worker Deaths |
200-300 each year |
6 (as of 1993) |
| Chances of Infection From A Needle Stick |
2% - 40% |
3% |
| Viral Particles in One Tsp. of Blood |
500,000,000 |
5 - 10 |
| Risk of Transmission to Newborns by Infected
Mothers |
up to 85% |
30 - 50% |
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One in every 250 Americans is a carrier of
hepatitis B. If you become infected, you may......
* be ill for a long time - 2 months to a lifetime
* be unable to work and lose income
* develop cirrhosis and cancer of the liver
* infect your sex partners, family members, and co-workers
* lose your job in some patient care facilities
* be denied medical or life insurance
* lose your life.
You can protect yourself with a safe and effective hepatitis B vaccine
What Exactly Is Hepatitis B?
Hepatitis B is a virus that causes the liver to become inflamed. Most people fight off the
infection
themselves. However, approximately 5-10% of those people who are infected with the virus
will become carriers, an estimated 5-10% of those people infected each year will progress
to chronic liver disease, cirrhosis and possibly liver cancer.
There are over a million carriers of the hepatitis B virus in the United States and an
estimated
200,000 people contract this serious liver disease each year.
This disease is more infectious than AIDS and is transmitted through infected blood and
other
body fluids (seminal fluid, vaginal secretions, breast milk, tears, saliva and open
sores). However, in approximately 30-40% of cases the method of transmission is unknown.
Protection Against Hepatitis B.........
You can protect yourself against hepatitis B with a safe and effective vaccine. To be
fully
protected three injections are required; the second one a month after the first injection
and the
third one six months later. Hepatitis B vaccination shots are recommended for all
newborns,
infants and teenagers. Shots may be given at any age. Most cases of hepatitis B occur
among
sexually active young adults; therefore, teenagers are an important group to be
vaccinated. This
vaccine provides immunity for most people for at least five years and possibly longer.
Who is at Risk for Hepatitis B?
People who are exposed to blood or body fluids of an infected person are at risk. You may
also be at risk if you
* Are exposed to blood on the job - first aid or emergency worker, funeral director,
police
personnel, dentist or dental assistant, medical personnel, etc.
* Live in the same household with an infected person;
* Have sex with a carrier or chronically infected person;
* Use intravenous drugs;
* Have more than one sex partner;
* Received a blood transfusion prior to 1975 (when a test to screen blood was developed);
* Have hemophilia;
* Work or are a patient in a health or long term care facility;
* Work or are incarcerated in a prison;
* Travel to countries with a high incidence of hepatitis B.
How To Avoid Becoming Infected
* get vaccinated (make certain you get all three injections);
* use condoms;
* wear gloves when touching or cleaning up blood on personal items, tissues, tampons or
other
items;
* clean area with blood on it with one part household bleach and 10 parts water;
* don't share razors, toothbrushes or pierced earrings with anyone;
* don't share chewing gum or pre-chew food for a baby;
* make certain any needles for drugs, ear piercing or tattooing are properly sterilized.
Hepatitis B Is Not Spread By Casual Contact Such As:
* holding hands;
* kissing on the cheek or dry lip kissing;
* eating food prepared bye carrier;
* visiting an infected person;
* playing with a child who is a carrier;
* sneezing or coughing.
Many Don't Know How They Become Infected
An estimated 40% of people who have been infected with hepatitis B do not know how or when
they became infected.
How Do You Know You Have Hepatitis B?
Most people who get hepatitis B have no recognizable signs or symptoms. The only way the
disease can be positively identified is through a blood test. Many people are surprised to
learn
when they have donated blood that they test positive for hepatitis B.
Hepatitis blood tests are not usually included in routine blood tests done when having a
physical
examination.
Some People Have Symptoms That Mimic The Flu
* loss of appetite;
* nausea and vomiting;
* fever;
* weakness, tiredness, lasting weeks or even months;
* abdominal pain;
* dark urine;
* yellowing skin and eyes (jaundice);
Will I Get Over Hepatitis B?
About 90% of adults recover from hepatitis B in a few months, clearing the virus from
their system and developing an immunity. They will never get hepatitis B again; however,
their blood test will always show that they had been infected and blood centers will not
accept their blood. This is because there is a very small chance that the test results are
"false positive" for the immunity and the person might still be infected.
When the anti-HBs (antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen) test is positive or reactive
it means
the person has recovered from a past infection, will not get it again, therefore cannot
pass it on to others. This test is usually positive when a person has received the
hepatitis B vaccine.
What Are Groups Are At Risk For Chronic Hepatitis B?
About 10% of adults, 25-50% of young children (under 5 years) and 70%-90% of infants
infected with hepatitis B who are unable to clear the infection from their bodies in six
months, become carriers or are chronically infected with hepatitis B.
Ethnic or racial groups with a high rate of infection are: Blacks, Asians, Pacific
Islanders,
Hispanics, American Indians and Alaskan Natives.
What Is A Carrier?
An HBV carrier is someone who has had hepatitis B in their blood for more than six months.
Children who are infected under age five have a 25%-50% chance of becoming lifelong
carriers. A carrier usually has no signs or symptoms of HBV but remains infected with the
virus for years or for a lifetime and is capable of passing the disease on to others.
Sometimes HBV carriers will spontaneously clear the infection from their bodies, but most
will not. Although most carriers have no serious problems with hepatitis B and lead normal
healthy lives, some carriers do become sick because they are at significantly higher risk
than the general population for liver failure or liver cancer. If you are carrying the
virus you should not donate blood, plasma, body organs, tissue or sperm.
What Can A Carrier Do?
A carrier is infectious even though he/she has no signs or symptoms and should never have
unprotected sex unless the other person is immune to hepatitis B or has been vaccinated.
Remember the virus is present in blood, semen, vaginal fluids and saliva. Annual liver
function
tests and a test for liver cancer are recommended. Alcohol can harm the liver and should
be
avoided. Drugs, even over-the-counter ones, should be used under a doctor's supervision
asthey too may cause liver damage. A well balanced diet and regular exercise are
important.
What If I Am Told I Am Chronically Infected?
Anyone who has not cleared the virus after six months and has elevated liver enzymes is
considered to have chronic hepatitis.
This means the virus is infecting living liver cells and damaging them. Scar tissue,
called
cirrhosis, replaces the damaged cells. The build up of cirrhosis causes the liver to
become hard
and bumpy and distorts the blood flow through this vital organ. This causes a back
pressure in
the veins bringing nutrients from the stomach and intestines.
Varicose veins form in the stomach and esophagus that can burst causing a hemorrhage
resulting
in vomiting blood or passing black stools. About 5,000 people die in the United States
each year related to Hepatitis B; 1,000 die of hepatitis B related liver cancer.
See your doctor yearly or more frequently as recommended. Tell your doctor, dentist and
sex
partner you are a carrier of hepatitis.
Can Hepatitis B Be Cured?
Currently there is only one approved treatment for hepatitis B called interferon alpha
2-b. About
15%-20% of those treated will have a lasting response. Many other medications and types of
therapy are being tested to find more effective and less toxic treatments.
What About Pregnancy And Hepatitis B?
Up to 90% of pregnant women who are carriers of hepatitis B can pass it on to their
newborns at
delivery. All pregnant women should be tested for hepatitis B and all babies should be
vaccinated
at birth to protect the child from being infected and to provide immunity for at least 10
years.
Can You Get Hepatitis B A Second Time?
There are several different hepatitis viruses: A,B,C,D & E. They all attack the liver
and can cause
liver cell injury. Once infected and recovered from one of these infections you will not
get it a
second time.
Where Do You Get The Vaccine?
Many doctors have the vaccine available, but public health departments will vaccinate
children
(any uninsured children under 18) free and will charge a nominal fee for anyone including
older
adults. Small children need smaller doses of vaccine so the shots will be less expensive
than
adults. Prices vary for the 3 shots. Hepatitis B vaccine is only for people who are not
infected chronically. Once infected, the vaccine is of no use. This does not apply to
people acutely exposed, infected newborns or those infected by needle sticks.
Presented by Bockstanz Inc. -- On Behalf Of The American Liver Foundation -- |
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