Hepatitis B is an infectious disease caused by infection of the liver by the hepatitis B virus (HBV).
Because many people have no obvious symptoms after infection, they do not know that they are infected, and they do not pay enough attention to even discovering the infection.
HBV infection is a worldwide epidemic, and according to WHO, there are approximately 257 million chronic HBV infections worldwide, of which 68% are in Africa and the Western Pacific. [1]
In my country, there are also many hepatitis B patients. It is estimated that there are still about hepatitis B virus infection in my country70 million cases, of which about 2000 ~30 million will develop chronic hepatitis B patients. Over time, some people with chronic hepatitis B develop serious health problems such as cirrhosis, liver cancer, and even death. [1]
Prevention and screening of diseases before they develop are cost-effective, both for physical health and for the financial cost after the disease.
A correct understanding of hepatitis B virus, do the following 2 points to prevent hepatitis B!
Cut off the virus path
The transmission of hepatitis B mainly includes blood transmission, mother-to-child transmission and sexual contact transmission.
In daily life, hepatitis B virus is spread by:
Birth (transmission from infected mother to baby during infection);
Having sex with an infected partner;
Share needles, syringes or medication equipment;
Share items such as toothbrushes, razors, or medical equipment (such as blood glucose meters) with an infected person;
direct contact with the blood or wound of an infected person;
Exposure to the blood of an infected person through a needle stick or other sharp tool;
The virus spreads when blood, semen, or other bodily fluids infected with HBV enters the body of an uninfected person.
It is especially worth noting that normal daily contact, such as eating together, hugging and kissing, shaking hands, coughing or sneezing, does not transmit HBV! The hepatitis B virus is also not spread through food or water (digestive tract transmission), so don’t worry too much.
Get vaccinated early
Protect vulnerable populations
Liver cancer is one of the common cancers in China. To prevent liver cancer, it is very important to avoid hepatitis B virus infection. One of the effective ways is to receive hepatitis B vaccine.
The following high-risk groups of infection can be vaccinated against hepatitis B as soon as possible to protect themselves. [2]
Healthcare workers;
persons who frequently come into contact with blood;
Nursery staff;
Organ transplant patients;
Frequent recipients of blood transfusions or blood products;
The immunocompromised;
Family members of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positive individuals;
Men who have sex with men;
Multiple sexual partners;
Intravenous drug users.
Since 2002, my country has officially included the hepatitis B vaccine into the national immunization program for children and achieved free vaccination. But for those who were born before 2002 and do not know whether they have been vaccinated against hepatitis B, they can go to the hospital for an antibody test and consider whether to re-vaccinate according to the results.