Hepatitis B

Brief History of Hepatitis B

Hepatitis B was discovered in 1965 by Dr. Baruch Blumberg. Originally, Hepatitis B was called Australia Antigen.

What is Hepatitis B?

There are many different types of hepatitis, however the most common type of Hepatitis in the world is Hepatitis B. Hepatitis B affects the liver, it can cause a chronic infection and can put people who have Hepatitis B at a high risk of getting cirrhosis or liver cancer. Hepatitis B can be spread by body fluids from one infected person to another.

Symptoms

Symptoms of Hepatitis B are:

  • loss of appetite

  • fatigue

  • nausea and vomiting

  • rashes

  • pain in the right hand stomach area

  • fever

  • sore joints

  • jaundice

Symptoms of Hepatitis B usually start after 2-3 months after you caught it. these symptoms can last for 6 weeks to 6 months. However, some people do not experience these symptoms.

Vaccines

Four years after the Hepatitis B was discovered, Drs. Blumberg and Millman soon developed the first vaccine for Hepatitis B.

In 1991, Hepatitis B vaccine was recommended for all infants at the time. This was used as a way to try and stop the transmission of Hepatitis B in the United States. Now the Hepatitis B vaccine is recommended for infants and children up to the age of 18.

Advice

To avoid spreading Hepatitis B to someone else you can:

  • Get the Hepatitis B vaccine

  • Wash your hands with soap thoroughly after exposure to blood

  • Use condoms when you have sex

  • Avoid having direct contact with blood and body fluids of someone else

  • Clean up blood spills with fresh dilute bleach solution

  • Discard sanitary napkins and tampons into plastic bags

  • Avoid illegal street drugs

  • Avoid drinking alcohol and smoking