While Hepatitis A is largely only a risk in underdeveloped countries, there are a combined 5.25 million people in America living with Hepatitis B and C. The consequences of not undergoing Hepatitis treatment can be chronic Hepatitis, which can lead to serious liver damage and death. With that in mind, it’s important to understand the truth about Hepatitis…what is Hepatitis?Hepatitis A, B and C are viral diseases that generally attack the liver. Although there are vaccines against A and B (and nearly half of America has developed an immunity against A), there is no cure for the disease, though there are treatments to help you deal with the Hepatitis symptoms.how is Hepatitis Transmitted?Hepatitis A is from people either ingesting fecal matter (usually through unwashed hands in unsanitary conditions) or through common contact – sexual contact, contaminated water, sharing needles or consuming undercooked shellfish. This is largely localized to third world countries with poor sanitation, but is still prevalent in some areas of the US. The strain does not cause liver disease, and Hepatitis A symptoms are both mild and short lived – most people believe that once the disease has been caught, the person will have immunity for life, and the disease is very rarely fatal – however, the vaccine is recommended for trips to third world countries.Hepatitis B is contracted via direct contact with bodily fluids. It’s usually caught via sexual contact, shared needles or through child birth. Although a quarter of those contracting chronic Hepatitis B will die from the disease, there is a vaccine to prevent initial infection, and there are medications available for long term sufferers.Hepatitis C occurs via contact with infected human blood. This means that it is typically caught through sharing needles, borrowing razors, infected blood/organ transplants or penetrative sex. As with Hepatitis B, a new born baby can be infected during delivery.what are the Symptoms of Hepatitis?Like many STDs, symptoms of Hepatitis’ three strains may be mild or invisible. if you do feel symptoms, they may be: Itching Dark urine Muscle aches Suppressed appetite Nausea Severe fatigue Flu style symptoms Headaches Jaundice Fever Abdominal Pain if you do feel a combination of these symptoms, you should book Hepatitis testing as soon as possible.what does Hepatitis Testing Involve?Although the Hepatitis testing procedure for each strain is different technically, the purpose and method is the same: a sample of blood is taken from the arm, and then tested to see if the relevant antibody is present. if it is, then the body has been trying to fight the virus, proving an exposure to the virus.what is the Treatment for Hepatitis?The bad news is that there is no cure for any of the forms of Hepatitis. The good news is that all strains of Hepatitis have treatments (or don’t need them) to make living with the virus bearable:Hepatitis A is unnoticeable in many people, and infection guarantees immunity in future. Although there are a small number of cases where the disease has led to death, the majority of people will find that the virus causes immunity and they will never suffer any ill effects again.Hepatitis B has a variety of medicines available to make the disease more manageable for those with a prolonged infection. The drugs significantly lower the chances of liver damage by slowing down the virus or preventing it from reproducing. that said, it is important to keep in regular contact with a doctor to keep an eye on liver damage.Unlike the other strains, Hepatitis C has no vaccine because the virus’ molecular configurations are constantly shifting. Fortunately, like the others there are Hepatitis treatments available to slow the disease and improve the quality of life – usually a combination of pegylated interferon and ribavirin. Despite this, sadly some 70% of chronic Hepatitis C sufferers develop serious liver disease.

Main Category: Immune System / VaccinesAlso Included In: Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses;  Tropical DiseasesArticle Date: 27 Jan 2011 – 4:00 PST email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions   Current Article Ratings: Patient / Public:Healthcare Prof:

“The cholera bacterium has undergone important mutations in recent years, causing longer outbreaks of the disease with increased fatalities, researchers reported on Wednesday,” Reuters reports. “In a package of papers published in the journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, they said mass vaccinations should be considered as a solution even after outbreaks have begun,” the news service writes (Lyn, 1/26).

“Although easily administered oral vaccines exist, public health officials typically don’t vaccinate against cholera in the throes of an outbreak because medical workers have their hands full rehydrating patients who have come down with the diarrheal disease,” Science News writes (Seppa, 1/25). In recent months, the debate over how useful a cholera vaccine can be during an outbreak has “reignited,” as experts try to slow the spread of the disease in Haiti, which to date has sickened some 105,000 and killed more than 2,000, Reuters writes.

“Caused by a water-borne bacteria called vibrio cholera, [cholera] is transmitted when contaminated human fecal matter gets into water, food or onto someone’s hands” – a particular “challenge to countries without safe drinking water and adequate sanitation,” Reuters continues. While the symptoms from the disease can kill some within hours, others “show no symptoms but can pass the bacterium further” (1/26).

In an effort to assess how a cholera vaccine could have affected the outcome of previous cholera outbreaks, “scientists collected information from three regions where cholera has struck in the past 15 years – Zimbabwe, Zanzibar and India,” and used a computer model to predict outcomes of an early vaccine effort, Science News writes of one of the studies published in the journal (1/25).

In the case of cholera outbreak that took place in Zimbabwe between 2008 and 2009, during which 98,591 cholera cases had been reported with 4,288 deaths attributed to cholera, “[i]f a rapid response had taken place and half of the population had been vaccinated once the first 400 cases had occurred, as many as 34,900 (40%) cholera cases and 1,695 deaths (40%) could have been prevented,” the authors of the study report. “In the sites with endemic cholera, Kolkata and Zanzibar, a significant number of cases could have been prevented but the impact would have been less dramatic,” they add (Reyburn et al., 1/25).

“The PLoS package also included a study from Vietnam, which showed how mass vaccination helped control the disease in Hanoi even after an outbreak occurred in 2007,” Reuters adds. “Fifteen percent of patients given the oral vaccine came down with cholera subsequently, compared to 30 percent of those not vaccinated,” the authors reported, according to the news service (1/25).

“The recent outbreaks of cholera in Haiti, Pakistan, and Zimbabwe suggest that our current global action plans against cholera are failing,” Edward Ryan, of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard University, who was not involved in the two PLoS studies, writes in an editorial where he describes how vibrio cholerae has evolved in a manner that allows it to linger, allowing for longer outbreaks of the disease. “What role cholera vaccine will play, if any, is still uncertain, and even if cholera vaccine is incorporated into response plans, many logistic hurdles would remain (who will pay, will vaccine be stockpiled, which vaccine would be used, who would control its use, delivery, and deployment, how will a vaccine program synergize with other response efforts and immunization efforts, etc.). But one thing is very clear … we have a wily and adaptive foe that has changed the rules of engagement repetitively, and it may be time for us to similarly adapt our strategies,” Ryan concludes (1/25).

According to Reuters, “There are only about 200,000 to 300,000 doses of cholera vaccine available in the world, and only two companies produce it” (1/26).

This information was reprinted from globalhealth.kff.org with kind permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Global Health Policy Report, search the archives and sign up for email delivery at globalhealth.kff.org.

© Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. all rights reserved.

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