The lowdown on Hep B – a silent but impacting disease
Last Friday was World Hepatitis Day, an opportunity for organisations like the Hepatitis Foundation of New Zealand to shine a spotlight on the disease.
The focus of this year’s campaign in New Zealand was hepatitis B – one of three types of hepatitis virus, all affecting the liver.
Hepatitis B is a massive issue globally. More than a million people die every year from hepatitis B-related disease, and 250 of those are New Zealanders.
A total of 100,000 Kiwis are infected with the virus, many of whom will have no idea at all that they have it unless they are tested. It is the most common serious liver infection in the world, and the leading cause of liver cancer.
There are two forms of hepatitis B – the acute infection stage, and the chronic or ‘‘carrier’’ stage.
Acute infection:
The hepatitis B virus is spread via sexual contact, exposure to infected blood, pregnancy or childbirth.
Once you have been exposed to the virus, you may or may not develop symptoms.
Some people will recover without ever feeling unwell, while others will become unwell within one to six months of being exposed.
Symptoms include tiredness, malaise, abdominal pains, fevers, nausea and jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes, and dark urine).
Most people recover within a few weeks of an acute infection, but a small number will go on to become ‘‘chronically’’ infected – they continue to carry the virus in their blood and can spread it to other people.
You are much more likely to become a chronic carrier if you contracted the virus as a baby or child, rather than in adulthood.
Chronic infection:
Two-thirds of people who are chronic carriers will never develop any symptoms or become unwell themselves, however they are still a potential risk to others, hence the need to know your carrier ‘‘status’’ to protect those around you.
Others won’t be so lucky, and will go on to get symptoms of liver damage, often decades after the original infection, and even liver failure or cancer if the disease isn’t detected early enough.
In New Zealand, vaccination against hepatitis B has been available for all babies and children up to the age of 18, free of cost, since 1987.
Once fully vaccinated, nearly everyone will be immune and protected for life. A small number will require a top-up ‘‘booster’’ at a later stage.
However, we know that certain groups are more at risk and should be tested – this includes people who are unvaccinated out of choice, as well as people who have migrated to New Zealand from parts of the world where vaccination isn’t routine.
Certain populations are also significantly more at risk of contracting hepatitis B infection, including Ma¯ ori, Pacifica people and people from Asia, Africa and the Middle East, and current recommendations here are that anyone in those populations should get tested to check their status.
Testing your hepatitis B status is simple – a routine blood test can pick up whether you have ever been exposed to the virus, and whether or not you are immune, or are a chronic carrier.
Blood tests can also tell if the virus is becoming active again, and whether you are at risk of developing liver damage. If you know your status, and find out that you are a carrier, take steps to protect those around you. Get your family tested and immunised if they aren’t already.
Use condoms until any partners are fully vaccinated, and join the Hepatitis Foundation’s annual testing scheme so it can monitor your blood tests and detect any liver damage early on.
You can’t pass on the virus by kissing, touching, sneezing, coughing or sharing a bathroom, but you can infect others if they come into contact with your blood for example, so covering up any cuts or sores, and avoiding using the same razor are
Although this might be difficult news to hear, finding out that you are a carrier is definitely not the end of the world – it will mean regular blood tests and health checks to ensure the virus remains inactive.
simple steps you can take to keep others safe.
Although this might be difficult news to hear, finding out that you are a carrier is definitely not the end of the world – it will mean regular blood tests and health checks to ensure the virus remains inactive, but for the vast majority of people it will never be more impacting than that.
For those unlucky ones who do develop active hepatitis later, the sooner you find out about it, the better the prognosis. Drugs are available that reduce the levels of virus in your blood and lower your risk of liver damage.
For more information about testing and other forms of hepatitis, visit the Hepatitis Foundation of New Zealand at hepatitisfoundation.org.nz.