Poles are increasingly more frequently choosing a healthy lifestyle. They are more careful about what they eat and declare a desire to spend their free time more actively. This common sense means choosing what is healthy, good and convenient. However, without the appropriate preventative activities, our body could be defenseless against serious viruses. Only 15% of people above the age of 20 are vaccinated against viral hepatitis B, or so-called inoculated hepatitis. Hepatitis Awareness Week is approaching. It’s not worth the risk. It’s better to be vaccinated against both types of hepatitis – Type A and Type B.
This doesn’t concern me ...
You travel often, you eat at any convenient place, you drink beverages with ice cubes, you exercise at a fitness center, you participate in sports, you undergo cosmetic procedures, you have intimate relations with multiple partners… In each of these situations, which often cannot be avoided, the likelihood of being infected with alimentary or inoculated hepatitis is quite significant. Viral hepatitis is a worldwide health problem. Don’t take the risk lightly.
Anyone not vaccinated is at risk
An ice cube in a drink, prepared with infected water, can be a source of viral hepatitis A infection, also called alimentary hepatitis. In turn, viral hepatitis B, so-called inoculated hepatitis, is one of the most serious and threatening infectious diseases. Infection can occur when you come into contact with infected blood. Viral hepatitis B is 100 times more infectious than the HIV virus. Coming into contact with 0.00001 ml of blood can cause infection! Coming into contact with such an unbelievably small amount of blood could happen almost anywhere. More than 60% of viral hepatitis infections occur in hospitals and clinics. Sexual relations and procedures in barber shops, beauty saloons, dental offices and tattoo parlors are a frequent source of infection for younger people.
Don’t put off getting vaccinated!
Young, active women who one day would like to become mothers particularly should remember about getting vaccinated – even if becoming a mother now seems like a distant dream. Experts agree that this group of women should take note of prevention. They use the services of doctor’s offices and beauty saloons, where infections easily occur, much more frequently than men. The consequences of this for a young woman will be felt, sooner or later, by the entire family.
- Due to their physiology, women are more frequently exposed to contact with heath services than men. Tests and procedures before and during pregnancy, birth and post-natal care are a risk for infection with viral hepatitis B. Unfortunately, it often happens that a patient comes to us who is already pregnant or who wants to become pregnant as soon as possible. She is not thinking about vaccinations, which require time. Therefore, every young woman should be vaccinated against jaundice in advance in order to avoid this problem in the future when she begins to think about motherhood – says gynecologist Krzysztof Dynowski of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic of the Post Graduate Medical Education Center in Warsaw.
The birth of a child is the most anticipated moment in the lives of the parents and nothing should interrupt this, particularly diseases, which can be easily avoided with vaccinations. It is worth getting vaccinated against both types of jaundice before it is too late.
Single vaccination – double protection
In cases of both viral hepatitis B and viral hepatitis A, treatment is long and arduous and can involve hospitalization for several months as well as very serious complications.
Vaccinations are the safest and modern method for long-term protection against viral hepatitis. You can choose a combination vaccine, immunizing against both types of the virus (the vaccine is given in 3 doses – the first vaccination at anytime, the second dose 1 month after the first and the third 6 months after the first vaccination) or individual vaccines: against viral hepatitis A (in 2 doses; the first given at anytime, the second between 6 and 12 months from the first vaccination) and viral hepatitis B in the standard vaccination schedule: 0, 1, and 6 months.
Viral hepatitis is caused by five separate viruses, known by the first letters of the alphabet: A, B, C, D and E. With a vaccination, you can protect yourself against viral hepatitis A (so-called alimentary hepatitis) and viral hepatitis B (serum hepatitis).
Important note for those who are not intending to take any hepatitis vaccine
With regard to your personal decision and with our commitment to preventing our Clients from becoming ill, we would like to provide you with a brief information on specific symptoms of this disease in case somebody will contract it. If You become suspicious about any of this signs, please do visit a Medicover Doctor.
Hepatitis A
Main symptoms: stomach-aches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea. In the full clinical picture there are visible yellowness of skin and eyes, dark colour of urine and colourless feces.
Hepatitis B
Main symptoms: stomach-aches, nausea, vomiting, lack of appetite, sometimes diarrhoea (most frequently in children). In the full clinical picture there are visible yellowness of skin and eyes, dark colour of urine and colourless feces in around 30% of all sick persons.
In order to reduce the risk of hepatitis infection we would like to strongly recommend:
- To avoid eating food in places, where there are any suspicious of lack of enforcement of sanitary precautions
- To carry and often use anti-bacterial tissues, especially in the regions with high hepatitis incidence
- To drink only bottled water while being in the country of high hepatitis incidence
- To use bottled water also for tooth brushing
- To avoid any medical interventions in the country with high hepatitis incidence, unless it is necessary for saving health or life
- To avoid piercing and tattooing in the country with high hepatitis incidence
- In case of accidental sexual affair always use a condom
- To avoid any activity that can increase the risk of injury while being in the country with high hepatitis incidence - like dangerous sports or driving old or damaged cars