Hepatitis B

It is ironic that one of the diseases of choice to blog about is Hepatitis B.  This is a disease I wanted to learn more about due to the fact that yesterday a man came into the health department, where I currently intern, wanting a vaccination for Hepatitis B.  This vaccination is also known as Hep B.  He stated that he fit the criteria to receive the vaccine at a reduced price, being that he was a former drug user.  This is actually how he became infected.  After the patient left I asked my preceptor if Hepatitis B was a STD, she said yes.  I was little shocked that I did not know this information and I am happy that this blog will give me the chance to do a little more research. 

Hepatitis B is a virus which attacks the liver, causing both acute and chronic diseases.  It is generally contracted from the transmission of blood and bodily fluids, which is why it is classified as a STD.  Globally, about two billion people have been affected worldwide and roughly 600,000 die from complications from Hepatitis B annually.  Drug users, health workers, and sex workers are at the highest risk for contracting the virus.  Hepatitis B can survive outside the body for about seven days, and can still be contracted if someone who is not vaccinated comes into contact with the virus.  The symptoms include “yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice), dark urine, extreme fatigue, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain” (WHO, 2013).  The majority of the people affected with Hepatitis B will recover and be completely rid of the virus in a period of about six months.  It is more prevalent in countries in Africa and East Asia, where the majority of the illnesses occur in childhood.  “High rates of chronic infections are also found in the Amazon and the southern parts of eastern and central Europe” (WHO, 2013). 

Hepatitis B. (n.d.). World Health Organization. Retrieved July 18, 2013, from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs204/en/index.html