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
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