The HEALTH | JULY, 2018

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The image shows some of the symptoms of hepatitis B, apart from its causes.

B is a disease that is easily contracted through the sharing of sharp instruments such as needles – tattooing, drug usage and acupuncture are the common attributes, razors, toothbrushes or earrings. The disease can also be spread through unprotected sex with an infected person, contact with an open wound or wound dressing and through birth – passing from an infected mother to her newborn baby,” said University of Malaya Faculty of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Professor Dr Rosmawati Mohamed.

“ The outcome of Hepatitis B depends at the time the infection occurred. If you were to develop hepatitis B as an adult, in 95 percent of cases, you will be able to recover and not carry the disease on.”

“ However, babies who contract the infection at birth will carry the virus for the rest of their life and have persistent chronic effects. Hence, vaccination for babies are crucial,” she said.

She explained that, vaccination started in 1998 in Malaysia.

“ Those vaccinated after 1998 are not at a high risk of contracting the disease. A study conducted

Dr Rosmawati Mohamed

showed that only 0.4 percent of those vaccinated contracted hepatitis B meanwhile among the unvaccinated, it was recorded up to three percent.

There are five types of hepatitis and the most common forms are hepatitis A, B and C

EPATITIS is one of the most

Hepatitis A

University of Malaya Faculty of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Professor Dr Rosmawati Mohamed pointed out that hepatitis A can be transmitted through the consumption of cockle or oysters.

However, the disease isn’ t transmitted through all seafood. Hepatitis A is the only one among the five types of hepatitis that is transmitted through the ingestion of contaminated food or water.

“ Nevertheless, food such as cockle and oysters are safe for continued consumption as long as you are protected,” she said.

It should be noted that Hepatitis A only causes short term effects and recurrence of getting the disease is not very likely post recovery.

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PREVALENCE of hepatitis C is at 1.8 per cent with an estimated total viraemic population of 380, 000 individuals. Sixty percent of the infection are due to infection showcasing a similar mode of transmission to hepatitis B. Sexual intercourse and intimate sexual contact can also cause the transmission of Hepatitis C.

University of Malaya Faculty of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Professor Dr Rosmawati Mohamed quoted a research article in which she was a coauthor;‘ Bridging the data gaps in the epidemiology of hepatitis C virus infection in Malaysia using multiparameter evidence synthesis’, where an estimated 2.5 per cent of the adult population are antibody positive for Hepatitis C of whom 59 per cent acquired their infection through injecting.

“ 80 per cent of people who are infected with Hepatitis C do not develop any symptoms. Progression of chronic hepatitis C is slow and silent with symptoms such as jaundice( yellow discolouration of the eyes, tiredness or water retention occurs when the liver disease is advanced, upon development of liver failure or liver cancer.”

Hepatitis C can cause long term effect, known as chronic hepatitis and come in two most dreaded form being sclerosis of the liver and liver cancer. This can lead to death among individuals.

“ Liver cancer, starts with the scarring of the liver then followed by cancer cells that begins developing. Seventy to 80 percent of liver cancers are caused by hepatitis C in Malaysia.

Prevention

There is no vaccine for hepatitis C, hence Rosmawati encourages universal precautions to reduce HCV transmission via different modalities such as strengthening harm reduction programmes( needlesyringe programmes, reducing nosocomial infection( healthcare associated HCV transmission and implementing a universal screening of donated blood products.