Today is marked worldwide as world hepatitis day. The theme of this year’s world hepatitis day is
” Hepatitis Can’t-Wait”.It is centered around the need to wipe out the disease hence the global talk show organized by the world health organization being held this day to shine a light on the disease, its causes, symptoms, and possible cure.
The World Health Organisation is working with some national and international health-centered organizations to combat Hepatitis disease and eradicate it before 2030 as it is a huge threat to public health.
It is not common knowledge that Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver that leads to severe liver disease and in extreme cases causes Hepatocellular Cancer. The hepatitis virus affects the liver’s capacity to function, by slowly weakening the liver’s ability to properly carry out its functions in acute cases it progresses from Fibrosis which develops into cancer.
Types of Hepatitis Virus:
- Hepatitis A: is a highly contagious liver infection caused by the Hep A virus. A person gets infected by contact with contaminated food or water. Its symptoms are not severe but they cause extreme discomfort these include
- fatigue,
- nausea,
- Abdominal pain,
- Loss of appetite.
Prevention and possible cure; Getting vaccinations as early as possible is a sure bet to reduce the risk of infection. Proper Hygiene is also a good step towards dealing with the Hep A virus. - Hepatitis B: Is caused by a virus found in infected blood, semen, and vaginal Fluids. It is a sexually transmitted infection passed through unprotected sex. The symptoms include:
- Abdominal pain,
- Loss of appetite,
- Dark urine.
Treatment differs in this case and a visit to the hospital is necessary. - Hepatitis C: this is the deadliest form of Hepatitis infection, it causes liver damage and is spread through blood. Chronic Hepatitis C attacks the liver and the virus is transmitted in the bloodstream through contact with a person carrying the virus. The virus can be transmitted through any of these methods:
- Unprotected sex
- Birth (from the mother to the child at the time of childbirth).
- Sharing of personal belongings with a carrier.
- Unchecked Blood transfusions.
Though a mother can transmit the disease to her newborn, it is mostly through blood. This means that a breastfeeding mother can’t infect the child through breast milk.
The Symptoms of hepatitis C might take a while to manifest, as the virus can last weeks in an incubator state as it slowly destroys the liver.
When they start to manifest you can notice the following: - That urine gets darker,
- Vomiting at any time,
- Major loss of appetite,
- Intense stomach pain.
Due to how long it takes to build up, it causes gall stones to accumulate which leads to kidney failure. Muscle control is lost in some instances and chronic weight loss is visible as a result of constant vomiting and loss of appetite. At this stage getting admittance into a hospital is the right thing to do.
Do you know someone suffering from Hepatitis, or do you suspect that you might have it, read through the symptoms carefully and visit the hospital for a checkup?