While the world has been paying a lot of attention to the coronavirus and monkeypox, there is one disease that remains a looming major health risk.
The world is currently facing a new outbreak of unexplained acute hepatitis infections affecting children, recently warned the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Even more worrying, says the WHO, is the fact that the cause of this infection does not appear to belong to any of the known 5 types of hepatitis viruses: A,B,C,D, and E.
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Every day, more than 3 000 people die of liver disease caused by viral hepatitis, and babies who have not been given a hepatitis B vaccine are at risk of getting liver cancer later in life.
WHAT IS HEPATISIS?
It is a general term used to describe inflammation of the liver. Hepatitis B can be passed from mom to baby at birth.
Chronic liver damage or hepatic cirrhosis is is most often caused by hepatitis and/or chronic alcohol abuse.
The yearly death toll of hepatitis B and C is more than a million (1 100 000) which is why "global efforts prioritize the elimination of the hepatitis infections B, C and D infections", according to the health agency.
"Unlike acute viral hepatitis, these 3 infections cause chronic hepatitis that lasts for several decades and culminate in over 1 million deaths per year from cirrhosis and liver cancer," says the WHO.
"These 3 types of chronic hepatitis infections are responsible for over 95% of hepatitis deaths."
Ahead of this year's World Hepatitis Day, which is marked on 28 June each year, the UN health agency announced that it, together with scientists and policymakers, is working to understand the cause of this new unexplained infection among newborns and young children.
"Most acute hepatitis infections cause mild disease and even go undetected. But in some cases, they can lead complications and be fatal," says the WHO.
"In 2019 alone, an estimated 78 000 deaths occurred worldwide due to complications of acute hepatitis A to E infections."
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WHAT YOU CAN DO TO PROTECT YOURSELF
"Hepatitis viruses A, B, C, D and E can cause acute and chronic infection and inflammation of the liver leading to cirrhosis and liver cancer. These viruses constitute a major global health risk," says the South African government.
Depending on the type of hepatitis you have, symptoms may include “malaise, abdominal tenderness, especially in the upper right corner, fatigue, jaundice (yellowing of the skin and the white portion of the eyes, dark-coloured urine, lightly coloured stools, abdominal pain, nausea with or without vomiting, and abdominal swelling due to fluid retention”, says the Johns Hopkins University’s medical school and health system governing structure, Johns Hopkins Medicine.
The Maryland, Baltimore-based private research institute offers the guides for ensuring you and your little one get appropriate treatment:
- “To prevent infection, children — or anyone who has not been previously vaccinated — should be vaccinated against hepatitis B and hepatitis A.
- “There are no vaccines against hepatitis types C, D and E.
- “There is no cure for hepatitis once it occurs. Treatment focuses on preventing further damage to the liver, reversing existing damage if possible and symptom relief. Most cases of acute hepatitis will resolve over time.
- “In autoimmune hepatitis, certain medications may be used to help keep the overactive immune system in check and prevent further attacks on the liver.”
FROM A TO B
Here is everything you need to know about hepatitis and protecting your born and unborn kids from it.
Sources: www.who.int; www.gov.za; Johns Hopkins Medicine
