Sharon Bell asked:


The military has always been a victim of hepatitis A. Napoleon’s army felt its wrath in the Egyptian campaign of 1799 and British, French, and German troops were severely affected in World War I.

More serious outbreaks affected 200,000 US troops from 1942 to 1945. Over five million cases occurred among German armies and civilians alone, forcing American soldiers to abandon key positions in Germany.

Hepatitis A continued to ravage the post-World War II era. Some 4,000 cases were reported among American and Korean soldiers in 1950. Similar reports were received from Vietnam and from French soldiers in Lebanon in 1978. What makes the military prone to the hepatitis A virus (HAV)?

“The armed forces frequently travel to, and are stationed in, areas of intermediate and high HAV endemicity. In the same way as any other traveler, this puts non-immune military personnel at risk of hepatitis A infection. Not only do they face the risk of HAV-contaminated water supplies and local cuisine, but also the prospect of contaminated canteen food should a member of the catering staff, become infected,” researchers said.

“In addition, the living conditions imposed by accommodation in barrack blocks would also be expected to promote the spread of HAV through close person-to-person contact - sharing cigarettes, drinks and food for example,” they added.

Other occupations at risk for the HAV are medical charwomen, sewerage workers, day-care center personnel, pediatric nurses, and travelers to high endemicity areas like Africa, Central and South America, and Asia.

“According to unpublished data of the World Tourism Organization, 30 - 35 million persons living in industrialized countries visit a developing country each year, where hepatitis A is highly endemic. Almost one-half of them live in Europe and travel predominantly to Africa and Asia; 40 percent live in the USA and Canada and travel mostly to Mexico or to the Caribbean; the remaining 10 percent originate from Australia, New Zealand, and Japan,” according to Robert Steffen of the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine in Zurich, Switzerland in the journal Vaccine.

“An average of 80 percent of these travelers are tourists. The remainder (average 20 percent) comprises business persons, experts, foreign aid volunteers or other professionals, and their families. These large numbers of travelers account for a considerable proportion of the hepatitis A infections diagnosed in industrialized countries,” Steffen revealed.

“The incidence rate of symptomatic hepatitis A among these unprotected travelers, the majority of whom stay at high quality hotels, is currently estimated to be as high as one in 300 for a one month journey. For the more adventurous, traveling and staying in remote and primitive areas, the risk of contracting hepatitis A is increased at least six-fold,” researchers said.

There’s no specific therapy for hepatitis A. Once a person has the disease, rest and relaxation are generally advised and the doctor will try to make the patient as comfortable as possible.

If you decide to take any medicine or over-the-counter drug, clear this with your physician first. Since all drugs pass to the liver, toxic effects could occur if that organ is affected by hepatitis A. (Next: Complications of hepatitis A.)

To strengthen your body, take Immunitril – your first line of defense in maintaining a healthy immune system. For details, visit http://www.bodestore.com/immunitril.html.



Bill

Kyle J. Norton asked:


As we mentioned in previous articles, hepatitis is characterized by the destruction of a number of liver cells and the presence of inflammatory cells in the liver tissue caused by excessive alcohol drinking, disorders of the gall bladder or pancreas, medication side effects, and infections. Beside foods, nutritional supplements and herbs, common sense approaches also play an important role in preventing hepatitis.

1. Reduce intake of saturated and trans fats

Uncontrolled diet that is high in saturated and trans fats not only cause cholesterol build up in your arteries but also increase high blood pressure and also damaging the immune system. It also is the main contributor to gallstone formation, fat liver that reduce the normal function of liver and making it vulnerable for virus infections.

2. Avoid intake of processed foods

Processed food contain high amounts of salt and artificial food additives that causes free radicals to build up in the body and high blood pressure. They are also toxic to the liver causing the kidney and liver to work harder in cleansing the extra toxins in the bloodstream. If this lasts for a prolonged period, they may damage the kidney and liver causing liver inflammation if infected by the hepatitis virus.

3. Limit alcohol drinking

Drinking a maximum of 250 ml for women and 500 ml for men will help the circulation of blood, nourish the body’s cells, and strengthen the immune system and liver. Excessive drinking not only causes liver inflammation, but will also lead to cirrhosis.

4. Drink a lot of green and yellow juices

Green and yellow juices contain high amounts of vitamins C, E and B that help to detoxify the body’s toxins and reduce burden of the liver. Green and yellow juices also help to protect our body from free radical build up, normalizing the liver function.

5. Quit smoking

Cigarettes contain toxic cadmium causing high blood pressure, increases the risk of calcium clotting up the arterial wall and reduces the amount of antioxidants in the body in result of weakening the immune system and liver causing the liver to be easier to be infected by hepatitis virus.

6. Limit intake of sugar

High amount of sugar promotes liver inflammation and free radical damage.

7. Do not overdose your medication

Overdosing medications is toxic to the body causing extra burden for liver function.

8. Do not share things with others such as clippers, scissors, toothbrushes or anything that may have come into contact with blood or body fluids.

9. Casual sexual activity must be taken with extra care.

Click here for more information

I hope this information will help. If you need more information of the above subject, please visit my home page at:

Kyle J. Norton

http://medicaladvisorjournals.blogspot.com/

http://hepatitisxi.blogspot.com/

All rights reserved. Any reproducing of this article must have all the links intact.



Peter

Mommytothree asked:


We just found out my husband has Hep C & A. How do I avoid catching both of these types of Hepatitis?

Debra

OU812 asked:


I just found out today that one of our employees has hepatitis c. how contageous is it? and should I continue to work there if my boss dosent lay that person off.

Jacqueline

ksteffen32 asked:


I have a family member with hepatitis c and I am sure that person is not alone ,how can I help this person and were is a web site to find out info,plus support,any health tips?

Tamara

Bertil Hjert asked:


When it comes to Hep C millions of people across the globe get in to deep worry. The reason is that Hepatitis C can hit the liver real hard. This can result in serious conditions such as cirrhosis and cancer.

However, the good news is that this serious condition can be treated. In fact, you would be happy to know that a variety of treatment options are available, these days for Hep C.

First and foremost, one must know about the signs and symptoms of this disease. It is a fact that most people are not aware of the presence of this infectious virus in their bodies because the symptoms are quite similar to flu.

The disease can be easily transferred to the body via certain common practices such as needle sharing, unprotected sex, tattooing, body piercing and blood transfusion. Experts usually warn that spreading of this disease is as simple as blood-to-blood contact.

- Treatment options: Here are some of the most common things, a medical practitioner prescribes.

A cause of medications is often prescribed as soon as the patient is identified with the Hep C virus. The treatments provided to the patient for Hep C is known to be most efficient when prescribed in the early stages of the infection.

When this disease reaches the stage of being chronic, the treatments may not prove as effective. The complete cure of infection is not possible in chronic conditions.

The treatment of Hep C involves a lot of process such as interferon administration and a medication. This medication was actually designed for patients with leukemia.

Interferon is a type of natural body protein usually produced during the interference of viral infectious agents inside the body. The body produces interferon in very small quantities. However, this protein is powerful enough to fight against harmful viral infections.

Luckily, the beneficial effects of interferon can easily be multiplied via modification of this protein in the laboratory. Most of the patients with mild and uncomplicated types of Hep C usually respond well to the interferon treatments. This helps in recovering from this disease once the patient completes his courses with this type of medications.

However, the patients with chronic or more advanced types of Hep C may suffer from relapse soon after they stop taking these treatments.

The treatments based on interferon is not appropriate for the patients suffering from chronic forms of Hep C. Additionally, long term treatments can result in severe side effects.

Experts usually recommend combination treatments for patients with chronic Hep C. These treatments involve use of peginterferon and strong antiviral medications. Ribavirin is widely used antiviral medication. Peginterferon is an interferon that is altered chemically.

Both Peginterferon and antiviral medications are given together in order to obtain best results. If taken in right doses and over the prescribed period of time, the patients are known to be immensely benefited.

Once diagnosed with Hep C, don’t panic. The reason is the availability of some great and effective treatments. Start the treatment as soon as you get diagnosed with Hep C.



Carolyn

Groshan Fabiola asked:


1. If I have chronic HBV can I breast feed my baby without worrying that he might get infected?

A study made in Texas on 101 breast-fed infants and 268 formula-fed infants after immunopropylaxis was applied showed that there is no risk in breast feeding your baby if you have chronic HBV. Appropriate immunoprophilaxies means administering hepatitis B immune globulin and hepatitis B vaccine.

2. Does breast feeding have any consequence upon immunoprophylaxis, like leading to its failure?

It has been observed that the risk of immunoprofilaxis failure is approximately equal in breast fed babies of chronic HBV mothers and bottle fed babies. Also, breast feeding does not influence the response of anti-HBs in any negative ways.

3. Can a baby get HBV from its mother even during pregnancy, and what can be done about that?

Yes, the virus can transmit to the baby even during pregnancy, in fact this being one of the most frequent ways of increasing the number of carriers in the world. If a mother has HBV she can get intramuscular shots of HBV specific immunoglobulin (HBIG) during pregnancy and so this stops the virus from infecting the foetus. This solution is not 100% effective and 10%-20% of the babies still get HBV in their early life.

4. Can hepatitis B vaccination schedule initiated with one recombinant DNA vaccine be completed with another?

Studies have been made on 48 adults to see if this is true. At 0, 1 and 6 months they have been administered the first two doses of 10 micrograms with Merck Sharpe and Dohme’s recombinant DNA (MSD rDNA) vaccine (Recombivax HB). At month 6, the tested subjects received SmithKline Beecham’s recombinant DNA (SB rDNA) vaccine (Engerix-B). At the end of the vaccination program, the results were the same with the usuall cases when people get one type of recombinant DNA vaccine, so there is no harm in completing one type of vaccine with another.

5. Is hepatitis B vaccine safe if administered during pregnancy?

Scientists say that the vaccination does not lead to any congenital malformation or miscarriage, it is high immunogenic and protects babies in the immediate neonatal period. Doctors are still hesitant in administering all kind of vaccine during pregnancy, but the hepatitis B vaccine seems to be one of the few that can be given to a pregnant woman without causing damage.

6. Can still I use a vial of Hepatitis B vaccine if I kept it out of the refrigerator for a few days?

Tests have shown that after keeping the vial at 37 degrees C for 1 week the immunogenicity and reactogenicity of the vaccine were not altered and the vaccine’s properties were intact. This is a good thing, especially for those who live in a country where facilities for proper storage and transportation are not adequate yet.

If you want to find out more resources about hepatitis or even about hepatitis c information you should visit this website http://www.hepatitis-guide.com



Sean

Lutchie asked:


My daughter in law has hepatitis b. she lives in the Philippines and intend to immigrate in Canada/

Nathan

Teena! asked:


My grandmother has Hepatitis C and is an alcoholic and I am going to send her a letter to tell her what happens when drinking with the infection.

Oscar

Kris asked:


I will soon be looking for work as a respiratory therapist in various hospitals and clinics, and I was wondering if any require the hepatitis B vaccine. I’d like to decline getting it and avoid it.
Just to be clear, I don’t have hepatitis B or C or AIDS or any such disease. I’m just not partial to the constant taking of vaccines.

Luis