MATTE RELEASE--(COLLEGIATE PRESSWIRE)--Apr 26, 2004--Each year, there are an estimated 15,000 cases of hepatitis B among 15-to 24-year-olds in the United States, and approximately half of these are among individuals who engage in high-risk sexual activity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Hepatitis B is often overlooked as a sexually transmitted disease, even though it is 50 to 100 times more contagious than HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. It is a potentially fatal liver disease caused by infection with the hepatitis B virus (HBV), which is spread through contact with blood or other body fluids of an infected person. Left untreated, hepatitis B can result in serious long-term consequences, such as scarring of the liver or liver cancer.
Hepatitis B can be contracted by having sex with an infected person; using contaminated needles when getting a tattoo or body piercing; injection drug use; or sharing personal items that may come into contact with blood, such as razors.
Hepatitis B can also be passed from an infected mother to her infant, which is still the most common way the disease is spread in places such as Asia, the Pacific Islands, Africa, Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Students born in these areas are at an increased risk of having chronic hepatitis B. People who contract chronic hepatitis B during early childhood have a greater risk of developing liver cancer.
Often, people with hepatitis B feel perfectly healthy, so they don�t know they are infected until they have developed advanced liver disease. If symptoms are present, they may include fever, joint pain, general aches and pains, fatigue, nausea and vomiting, pain in the abdomen and jaundice (yellowing of the eyes and skin). The only way to know for sure if you have hepatitis B is to get a simple blood test. If you do have hepatitis B, early detection and treatment offer the best hope for avoiding liver damage and preventing the spread of the infection to others.
The American College Health Association (ACHA) recommends that all college students be vaccinated against hepatitis B. Other ways of preventing the disease are practicing safe sex, using sterile needles for tattoos and body piercings, not shooting up drugs and not sharing personal care items.
ABCs of Hepatitis B
Transmission: Contact with contaminated blood or body fluids via sex, tattoo or piercing needles, intravenous drug use or sharing personal care items.
Symptoms: Fever, joint pain, generalized aches and pains, fatigue, nausea and vomiting, pain in the abdomen and jaundice, although about one-third of people with hepatitis B show no symptoms.
Effects: Usually clears up within six months, but some people develop a chronic infection that can result in scarring of the liver or liver cancer.
Treatment: There is no cure for chronic hepatitis B, but there are medications that can help you stay well longer.
Prevention: The best way to protect yourself from infection is by vaccination.
To learn more about hepatitis B, visit the CDC web site at www.cdc.gov.
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