Vaccination against hepatitis B is the most effective form of prevention against infection

6,000 people contract a form of hepatitis every day. 1.3 million people have suffered from a form of the disease, according to the Global Hepatitis 2024 report presented at the World Hepatitis Meeting in Lisbon, Portugal.

According to the data presented by the WHO, hepatitis has as many deaths as tuberculosis globally. The data was taken from 187 countries and looked at hepatitis A, B, C, D and E.

Of all new cases of hepatitis in 2022, 83% will be hepatitis B and the rest hepatitis C. There is a large number of young people suffering from infections – 12% of those affected are under the age of 18, and about half are between 30 and 54 years of age.

The report claims that 3,500 people die from hepatitis every day. The report reports that one of the risk factors is the lack of early diagnosis of hepatitis and untimely treatment. Another factor is the lack of access to medication. In countries in Africa, which account for 63% of new hepatitis B cases, only 18% of newborns receive the vaccine. The reason lies in the cost of medicines, because of which poor countries cannot protect their population.

Hepatitis B – types, symptoms, treatment, prevention – in the “Infectious Navigator” section of BNR-Radio Blagoevgrad the topic comments ch. Dr. Magdalena Baimakova from the First Infectious Diseases Clinic of the Military Medical Academy-Sofia and a part-time assistant at the “N. Rilski” – Blagoevgrad.

“Hepatitis B is a viral infection of the liver. In a global aspect, this disease has an extremely high social significance. Along with hepatitis C, they are responsible for 80% of liver cancer cases. It is no coincidence that one of WHO’s strategies is to raise awareness of this disease, its features and consequences“. Dr. Baimakova pointed out that the main source of the disease is the person – sick or carrier. The virus is found in a person’s blood, serum and all body fluids. Its concentration is greatest in the blood, which is why the main route of infection is through contact with blood and blood products. “The virus enters our organism, apart from through the blood, when the integrity of the skin is broken, through the conjunctiva of the eyes, the mucous membrane of the genital organs, transmission from mother to child during pregnancy and at birth itself. The possible ways of transmission of the infection are also in contact with infected instruments – cosmetic and medical, which are not sterilized. The virus is extremely persistent in the environment.”

Symptoms, forms

The infection can occur both clinically and asymptomatically. The forms are light, medium and heavy. “It is possible to develop as an acute infection, yes overcome, but it is possible that the disease will become chronic. When it is symptomatically manifested with clinical symptoms – then it will develop like all other viral hepatitises. It will follow the course of acute viral hepatitis, which passes through several stages. The incubation period for this disease is long – from 30 to 180 days. A person will forget when he had risky contacts, when he got tattoos, or had contact with blood and other infected products. Harbingers are general malaise, weakness, heaviness in the epigastrium, nausea, vomiting, fever, muscle pain. Yellowing of the skin, dark urine, light stools is possible – then a person knows that he has hepatitis and seeks medical help. This occurs when a symptomatic infection is present.” The infectious disease specialist pointed out that in most cases the infected have no symptoms. The chronicity of the acute infection is directly dependent on the age of the person. In newborns, the highest percentage of chronification of the disease is observed – 50% of cases. From 1 to 5 years – 30%, over 5 years – between 5 and 10%.

People with chronic infection have a higher risk of more complications, including cirrhosis and liver cancer /hepatocellular carcinoma/.

Risk groups

People who have been diagnosed with hemophilia or are on dialysis, born before 1992 and have not been vaccinated. Persons with risky sexual contacts, drug addicts, medical workers who work with blood and blood products.

Treatment

Acute infections are subject to control by infectious disease specialists. Depending on the patient’s condition, adequate therapy is carried out. When the patient has a chronic form of the infection, an examination is done and another type of drug therapy is switched to. “Depending on age and clinical form, a large proportion of individuals will get sick again and build permanent immunity. The point is to catch the chronic virus carriers and they are the source of the infection, efforts should be directed towards them”.

How can hepatitis B disease be prevented?

Vaccination against hepatitis B is the most effective form of prevention against infection. “The vaccine is sufficiently effective and affordable, it is included in the immunization calendar of our country. At-risk groups are encouraged to be vaccinated. This refers to specific prevention, and non-specific includes awareness, safe contacts, early detection of the disease and the use of sterilized instruments.