How to Prevent Hepatitis B | Prevention guide tips

About How to Prevent Hepatitis B | Prevention guide tips Android App

Hepatitis infers inflammation and dysfunction of the liver. It can be caused by consuming toxins (alcohol in particular), over-medicating, trauma and viral infections. Hepatitis B is a common virus that infects and inflames the liver, either in short-term bouts (acute) or for much longer periods of time (chronic). An estimated 2 billion people worldwide have been infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and more than 350 million people have chronic, lifelong liver infections as a result. Symptoms of acute hepatitis B often include jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes), fever, fatigue, darkened urine and abdominal pain.Chronic cases also involve progressive liver dysfunction, cirrhosis and, ultimately, organ failure. Hepatitis B has no medical cure, but it can be prevented via vaccination and responsible lifestyle choices.

Vaccinate your newborn
The best way to prevent hepatitis B infection is to be vaccinated against it, preferably starting at birth.Two HBV vaccines are currently available (Recombivax HB and Engerix-B) and both require three intramuscular injections administered over a six-month period. As such, newborn babies should get their first dose of the hepatitis B vaccine very shortly after birth and get the other two shots by the time they are six-months old. The injections are given into the thigh muscles of newborns. Babies born to mothers who have acute hepatitis B or have had the infection in the past should get vaccinated within 12 hours of birth. After three doses of the hepatitis B vaccine, at least 95% of infants, children and adolescents develop adequate antibody responses to the HBV and are immune to infection. The side effects from hepatitis B vaccines are usually not serious and typically include soreness at the injection site and mild flu-like symptoms.

Catch up shot
If your child or adolescent wasn't vaccinated against HBV at birth, then make an appointment with your family doctor and ask about getting so-called "catch-up" doses of hepatitis B vaccine — which means getting their immune system caught up to speed in preventing the infection. This is particularly important if your child has a weakened immune system, needs frequent blood transfusions or has a serious liver or kidney disease. Furthermore, you should take your teenager for a catch-up shot if they are becoming sexually active. The deltoid (shoulder) muscle is the recommended site for hepatitis B vaccination in children and adults. HBV is infectious, but it's not transmitted via saliva. It's only transmitted through contact with blood and other body fluids, such as semen. As such, you can't get a hepatitis B infection from sharing food or drinks, kissing or getting sneezed on. The Recombivax HB vaccine has only a two-dose schedule (instead of three) for adolescents aged 11 through 15 years, so this may be more appropriate if your child has a big fear of needles.

Get booster dose
Even if you were vaccinated at birth for HBV, you should get a booster dose (three shots within six months) if you are considered at high risk for the infection. People at higher risk of hepatitis B infection include health care workers, frequent travelers (especially to developing countries), people who live in countries where the risk of hepatitis B is high, patients undergoing hemodialysis, sexually promiscuous people, people who have contracted an STD in the past, pregnant women, male homosexuals, recreational drug users, people in the correctional system, people who need frequent blood products or transfusions (hemodialysis patients), people with compromised immunity and people with chronic liver or kidney disease.[8] The regular hepatitis B vaccine schedule (three doses) is only 75% effective in preventing infection or clinical hepatitis if you are aged 60 years or older. As such, talk to your doctor about possibly getting larger doses or more doses of the vaccine for better protection.