Every year, about 300,000 people in China die from hepatitis B virus-related diseases.
Hepatitis B is one of the infectious diseases with the highest incidence rate in China, and its mortality rate ranks among the top three reported infectious diseases in China. There are about 120 million hepatitis B virus carriers in China. The annual direct medical expenses for liver diseases in China are as high as more than 100 billion yuan. The incidence of hepatitis B in our province is also on the rise, and the incidence of hepatitis B is higher than the national average. The epidemic of hepatitis B is seriously endangering public health. Hepatitis B can be prevented, but the public doesn’t know enough about it. Therefore, it has become the unshirkable responsibility of the whole society to popularize the knowledge of hepatitis B prevention and improve their self-care awareness and self-protection ability.
How big is the source of hepatitis B infection in China?
On September 3, the reporter learned from the Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention (hereinafter referred to as the "Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention") that China has a large population and is a high-prevalence area of hepatitis B (hereinafter referred to as "hepatitis B"), and about 120 million people are carriers of hepatitis B virus. Among the hepatitis B virus carriers, about 20 million to 30 million people are chronic hepatitis B patients. Every year, about 300,000 people die from liver diseases related to hepatitis B virus infection, such as severe hepatitis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. In recent years, the incidence of hepatitis B in our province has also shown a gradual upward trend, and the incidence of hepatitis B is higher than the national average. From January to July this year alone, the incidence of hepatitis B ranked first in the number of legally reported infectious diseases in our province. From January to July this year, the incidence of hepatitis B in the province was 1248 cases, 785 cases, 1423 cases, 1225 cases, 1205 cases, 1237 cases and 1393 cases respectively.
According to experts from the Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the source of infection of hepatitis B virus mainly comes from acute and chronic hepatitis B patients and hepatitis B virus carriers. Hepatitis B virus mainly propagates in human liver cells. Hepatitis B virus is also propagated in other organs and tissues of human body, such as endothelial cells, kidneys, white blood cells, pancreas, muscles and germ cells (referring to sperm) on the inner surface of small blood vessels, and a small amount of hepatitis B virus is found in muscles (smooth muscles) on intestines. Therefore, hepatitis B patients and hepatitis B virus carriers can’t supply blood, and their organs are not suitable for donation after death, because their organs all carry hepatitis B virus.
The expert went on to say that the main ways of hepatitis B transmission include blood transmission, mother-to-child transmission and sexual transmission. Once hepatitis B virus enters the damaged skin mucosa, it can cause new infection. Mothers who are carriers of hepatitis B virus or patients with acute or chronic hepatitis B can spread to their own children in the fetal period, perinatal period and infancy. Experts estimate that 30%-40% of hepatitis B virus carriers in China originate from the spread of such mothers. This infection is very dangerous and serious. Because 90% of infected people can become hepatitis B virus carriers. The relationship between hepatitis B virus and liver cancer is very close, especially familial liver cancer is mostly related to hepatitis B virus infection. The mother is a carrier of hepatitis B virus, and most of her children are infected in childhood and become carriers of hepatitis B virus. It takes about 30-50 years for hepatitis B virus carriers to develop into liver cancer. Once infants and young children are infected with hepatitis B virus, they will become the main population with liver cancer in the future. Therefore, the first dose of hepatitis B vaccine must be given to the baby within 24 hours after birth in order to effectively block the infection of hepatitis B virus.
What are the clinical symptoms of hepatitis B?
According to experts from the provincial CDC, the average incubation period of hepatitis B is 6 weeks, but it may be as long as 6 months. Children are often asymptomatic after infection. But compared with adults, most children can become carriers of hepatitis B virus. Symptomatic hepatitis B patients will feel weak, have stomach upset and other flu-like symptoms, and also have dark urine color or grayish white feces, common jaundice (yellow skin or yellow sclera), and the symptoms can last for weeks or months. Most adults can fully recover from acute hepatitis B virus infection, but many children will become hepatitis B virus carriers. Patients with acute hepatitis B have lifelong immunity to the disease after rehabilitation (without becoming chronic carriers). If there are unexplained symptoms such as burnout, fatigue, loss of appetite, liver pain, hepatomegaly, tapping pain in liver area, jaundice, dark urine color, etc., liver disease examination and hepatitis B serological test should be done.
How to prevent hepatitis B
According to experts from the provincial CDC, two measures can be taken to prevent hepatitis B? Don’t use blood and blood products that haven’t been tested for hepatitis B in life and collective environment as much as possible, don’t go to black dens to donate blood, don’t have homosexual behavior and whoring behavior, don’t use unclean syringes, acupuncture needles, dental drills and endoscopes and other interventional medical instruments, and don’t share razors, ear needles, tattoo needles, toothbrushes and other instruments. In addition, it is to inoculate hepatitis B vaccine to improve its own immune antibody level.
Hepatitis B vaccine is suitable for all people.
Who is suitable for hepatitis B vaccination? According to experts from the provincial CDC, hepatitis B vaccine is also the only vaccine that can prevent liver cancer. Vaccination of hepatitis B vaccine is the core strategy to prevent hepatitis B. In addition to neonatal immunization, preschool children, adults and high-risk groups of hepatitis B should be vaccinated with hepatitis B vaccine.
He said that the first group of people is newborns, which is the most important group to receive hepatitis B vaccine immunization. Because if you are infected by hepatitis B virus during this period, 90% of you can become asymptomatic infected and hepatitis B virus carriers, and the consequences are very serious. 30% of liver cancer related to hepatitis B virus infection comes from hepatitis B virus infection in newborns, and a large proportion of them develop into chronic hepatitis. Therefore, neonatal immunization is the most important thing to prevent hepatitis B. Since 2003, our government has provided free hepatitis B vaccine for newborns, and stipulated that all newborns must receive hepatitis B vaccine immunization, which is the right of children and the obligation of parents.
The second group of people are children under 6 years old. Infants infected with hepatitis B are easy to become carriers of hepatitis B virus. The younger the infection age, the greater the probability of persistent infection. After such children are infected with hepatitis B virus, 30%-70% of them can also become carriers of hepatitis B virus, and they will easily develop into chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis and liver cancer in adulthood.
The third group of people are doctors, especially doctors in surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, dentistry and otolaryngology, laboratory workers engaged in serum testing and all nurses. Anyone who has not been infected with hepatitis B virus should be vaccinated. Besides protecting yourself, it can also protect the safety of patients. In addition, if there are hepatitis B patients or hepatitis B virus carriers at home, their family members should be vaccinated against hepatitis B to avoid infection.
The fourth group of people are those who are engaged in heavy physical labor and are easy to cause labor injuries.
The fifth group of people is people with low immune function. For example, after tumor surgery, people who take immunosuppressive drugs for a long time, renal dialysis patients, and blood patients who often need blood transfusion and blood products are in poor health and have low resistance. Once they are infected with hepatitis B virus, the consequences are very serious, so they should be vaccinated with high doses of hepatitis B vaccine.
The sixth group of people are the army, college students of certain majors, etc. However, there are also some people who can’t get hepatitis B vaccine and don’t need it. If a person with a fever can’t be vaccinated, wait until his fever has gone down. Secondly, people with allergies, that is, people who are allergic to many things should use hepatitis B vaccine with caution. There are already protective antibodies in the body, and people with high levels do not need to be immunized again. However, if the antibody level is very low, it is still a suitable target for vaccine immunization.
Three needles, protect the child’s life!
On September 3rd, the reporter learned that according to the actual situation in our province, the Provincial Health Department, in cooperation with the China Hepatitis Prevention and Treatment Foundation, will give free hepatitis B vaccine to 500,000 school-age children in Haidong, Haixi and Yushu from September this year to May next year, so that more than 95% of school-age children in primary schools in the province can get free hepatitis B vaccination, thus making Qinghai one of the provinces that have completed hepatitis B vaccination for school-age children nationwide. Therefore, experts from relevant departments in our province especially remind the public that hepatitis B can evolve into chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis and liver cancer, and hepatitis B vaccine can indirectly prevent liver cancer. Therefore, after three shots of hepatitis B vaccine are given in newborns and childhood, chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis and liver cancer can be prevented. After the child is born, he should be given three injections according to the procedure of 0, 1 and 6 months stipulated by the national immunization plan, that is, the first injection should be given within 24 hours after birth, the second injection should be given at one month and the third injection should be given at six months. Adults and children can be vaccinated according to the procedures of 0, 1 and 6 months, which can protect you and your child’s life. (Author: Wang Xiaohong)
Editor: Tian Shijia