About 1% of persons living with HBV infection are also infected with HIV
About
Hepatitis B is a viral infection that attacks the liver and can cause both acute and chronic disease
Symptoms
Most people do not experience any symptoms during the acute infection phase
However, some people have acute illness with symptoms that last several weeks, including yellowing of the skin and eyes, dark urine, extreme fatigue, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain
A small subset of people with acute hepatitis can develop acute liver failure, which can lead to death.
In some people, the hepatitis B virus can also cause a chronic liver infection that can later develop into cirrhosis (a scarring of the liver) or liver cancer.
Contagion
The virus is transmitted through contact with the blood or other body fluids of an infected person.
The hepatitis B virus can survive outside the body for at least 7 days. During this time, the virus can still cause infection if it enters the body of a person who is not protected by the vaccine.
Hepatitis B is most commonly spread from mother to child at exposure to infected blood, especially from an infected child to an uninfected child during the first 5 years of life.
The development of chronic infection is very common in infants infected from their mothers or before the age of 5 years.
exposure to infected blood and various body fluids, as well as through saliva, menstrual, vaginal, and seminal fluids
Treatment
There is no specific treatment for acute hepatitis B
Care is aimed at maintaining comfort and adequate nutritional balance, including replacement of fluids lost from vomiting and diarrhoea.
Chronic hepatitis B infection can be treated with medicines, including oral antiviral agents. Treatment can slow the progression of cirrhosis, reduce incidence of liver cancer and improve long term survival.
Prevention
The hepatitis B vaccine is the mainstay of hepatitis B prevention.
WHO recommends that all infants receive the hepatitis B vaccine as soon as possible after birth, preferably within 24 hours.
Consequences
acute liver failure, which can lead to death.
In some people, the hepatitis B virus can also cause a chronic liver infection that can later develop into cirrhosis (a scarring of the liver) or liver cancer.
Medical examination
The incubation period of the hepatitis B virus is 75 days on average, but can vary from 30 to 180 days.
The virus may be detected within 30 to 60 days after infection and can persist and develop into chronic hepatitis B.
Prevention
However, it can be prevented by currently available safe and effective vaccine.
A vaccine against hepatitis B has been available since 1982. The vaccine is 95% effective in preventing infection and the development of chronic disease and liver cancer due to hepatitis B
