Hepatitis B is a serious disease that can cause major liver damage leading to cirrhosis as well as cancer. It is considered the most dangerous of all the Hepatitis viruses.
Spread by infected blood, contaminated needles used for drugs or tattoos, sexual contact with an infected person and even a bite inflicted by another, this disease can be deadly if not caught in time. There is a vaccine available and it is advisable for persons at risk to get immunized.
The risk of acquiring Hepatitis B increases when sexual promiscuity is prevalent, with men having sexual relations with other men or people having multiple sexual partners. Emergency personnel and health care workers are also vulnerable as they work with Hep B patients.
The Hepatitis B virus is a dangerous infection that affects over two billion people worldwide. It is estimated that at least five hundred thousand people or more die each year from this disease. It is much more prevalent than HIV but is preventable with the vaccine. Almost four hundred million people have chronic long term liver damage caused by Hepatitis B.
Hepatitis B is hard to cure once it is contracted. That is why the vaccine is so important. The symptoms of this disease are much like that for any other form: light colored stools, dark urine, flu symptoms including fever, and jaundice. Often a person will have severe abdominal pain and vomiting. A person suspecting that he/she might have contracted Hepatitis B should immediately see a physician to be tested.
Hepatitis B is most common in Asian countries. Most of these people contracted it at birth In these regions, up to 10% of the population is infected, most of them being male. Once liver cancer sets in, it is nearly impossible to cure. Hepatitis B can be treated with drugs such as Interferon and anti-viral agents, which help some patients. However, these treatments are very expensive and are beyond the means of many people.