For this reason, some items on this page will be unavailable. For more information about this message, please visit this page: About CDC. Travelers' Health. Hepatitis B. What is hepatitis B? Page last reviewed: April 28, Home Travelers Health. Links with this icon indicate that you are leaving the CDC website.
But even someone who doesn't have any symptoms can still spread the disease to others. Hepatitis B also called serum hepatitis is a serious infection. It can lead to cirrhosis permanent scarring of the liver, liver failure, or liver cancer, which can cause severe illness and even death.
If a pregnant woman has the hepatitis B virus, her baby has a very high chance of having it unless the baby gets a special immune injection and the first dose of hepatitis B vaccine at birth. Sometimes, HBV doesn't cause symptoms until a person has had the infection for a while. At that stage, the person already might have more serious problems, such as liver damage. Someone with symptoms or who might have been exposed to the virus through sex or drug use should see a doctor right away for a blood test.
The blood test also can tell whether someone has an acute infection or a chronic infection. There's no cure for HBV. Doctors will advise someone with a hepatitis B infection on how to manage symptoms — like getting plenty of rest or drinking fluids.
A person who is too sick to eat or drink will need treatment in a hospital. In most cases, older kids and teens who get hepatitis B recover and may develop a natural immunity to future hepatitis B infections. Find out if you should get the hepatitis B vaccine. The hepatitis B vaccine is a covered preventive service for those for whom it is recommended under many health plans. Hepatitis B can also be prevented by avoiding contact with contaminated blood and unprotected sexual exposure.
Using condoms has also been shown to reduce the chance of sexually transmitted infections. Mother-to-child HBV transmission can be prevented by identifying pregnant women who are chronically infected and providing the infant with hepatitis B vaccine and hepatitis B immunoglobulin at birth. Recently updated guidelines also recommend that pregnant women with chronic HBV be referred to a specialist and considered for HBV treatment to further reduce the chance of transmitting the virus.
The only way to find out if you have hepatitis B is to get tested. All it takes is a simple blood test. Hepatitis B testing is a covered preventive service under many health plans. Being aware of your hepatitis B status is important because treatments are available that reduce the chance of developing liver disease and liver cancer. If you are diagnosed with hepatitis B, you can also protect your family members by getting them vaccinated. There are several antiviral treatments available for chronic hepatitis B.
Everyone with chronic hepatitis B should be linked to care, considered for treatment, and regularly checked for liver damage and liver cancer. Hepatitis B treatments reduce the amount of virus in the body and reduce the chance of developing serious liver disease and liver cancer. There is no cure for hepatitis B and treatment is recommended to continue for years if not for life. Research is ongoing for more effective treatments and a cure for HBV.
CDC assists with the implementation of strategies external icon to achieve progress toward global viral hepatitis elimination goals in countries around the world. Collaborative work with partners, including in-country CDC offices, Ministries of Health, the World Health Organization WHO external icon , international public health professionals, and foreign government officials, focuses on efforts to develop, implement, monitor, and evaluate viral hepatitis-related guidelines, policies, plans, and programs.
Additionally, CDC assisted in the implementation of a pilot program to eliminate hepatitis B and hepatitis C in Uzbekistan using an innovative funding approach tailored to the needs of low- and middle-income countries 3. International collaborations not only help the host country but can help reduce the risk for disease among U.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Both hepatitis B and hepatitis C can lead to lifelong infection. WHO estimates that 1. Hepatitis A and hepatitis E infections do not result in chronic infection but can be severe and cause liver damage and death.
Outbreaks of these infections occur worldwide, particularly in parts of the world with poor sanitation. Hepatitis A and hepatitis E can also be prevented, and cases reduced with improvements in sanitation, because these infections are transmitted from infected feces either person-to-person or through contaminated food and drinking water. Individual countries are now in different stages of developing their own viral hepatitis elimination plans 5.
At the WHA, WHO released the Interim Guidance for Country Validation of Viral Hepatitis Elimination external icon providing a global framework for the process and standards for validation of elimination, including absolute impact and programmatic targets 6. In , CDC released the Global Immunization Strategic Framework , which provides a roadmap to achieving progress toward a world where everyone is protected from vaccine-preventable diseases VPDs , such as hepatitis A and hepatitis B.
Three Goals are core immunization program capacities that CDC seeks to strengthen:.
0コメント