CAMPUS HEALTH! Hepatitis B and why you should care

We all have our list of diseases that we fear the most, such as cancer, HIV/AIDS and most times add pregnancy to the list. I believe that Hepatitis B should feature on the list because it is more or less a silent killer than gives a serious low blow when you least expect it.

Firstly, it is caused by a virus and if we remember our primary science, viruses can not be killed. The area which this virus attacks is the liver and yes when it is not diagnosed, a person’s drinking habits add salt to the wound.

So what do you need to know about this silent killer bearing in mind that it took the life of Dorcus Inzikuru’s husband as well as denied military careers for many unemployed youth and those who want to study abroad. Hepatitis feels like flu therefore symptoms are;

-Headache, tan coloured stool, dark urine, stomach ache and or vomiting, feeling tired, mild fever, not wanting to eat, yellow eyes and skin.

However, important to note is that most people with chronic Hepatitis B do not get the symptoms. This means, your liver could be dying and yet you feel as healthy as ever. As much as you cannot get it from kissing, hugging, sneezing, coughing or sharing food and drink, it is transmitted through exchange of bodily fluids.

Prevention

Prevention is a two-part thing; first of all, you are advised to get a series of three to four shots of the vaccine within intervals or a month and secondly, tattoo lovers should make sure the needles are properly sterilized, wear latex gloves when handling blood if you must, avoid sharing razor blades and toothbrushes due to the likelihood of cuts in the mouth, do not share needles and sexually active fellas, wrap it up whenever you are having sex because live may just be touching a live wire. In other words handle it side by side with your HIV/AIDS because a mother can also pass it onto her baby at birth.

Why Hepatitis B is tricky to treat

This is because without screening, one is unable to know if they are infected plus in extreme cases when you are infected, the doctor has to take samples of your liver for testing to find out how bad the damage is! Worst case scenario is obviously death but late discovery warrants a liver transplant.

For that reason many health days around various campuses like Makerere, Nkozi, Mbarara have had provisions for getting the Hep B vaccine at a discounted price because a mainstream private hospital is exorbitant with its prices. Also there is being infected, not knowing but living a healthy lifestyle which only makes you feel better but does nothing to stop the virus from killing your liver.

An important thing to note is that even with full vaccination, according to the World Health Organization, you are only guaranteed 95% protection. Therefore please stay safe, be on the lookout and get tested.