Today is WORLD HEPATITIS DAY
Both the World Hepatitis Alliance and the WHO’s World Hepatitis Day’s theme for 2016 is ELIMINATION.
Hepatitis is a term for inflammatory diseases of the liver, which range from mild and self-limited to severe, progressive forms leading to liver failure, cirrhosis, or hepatocellular carcinoma.
Viral hepatitis is most commonly caused by the hepatitis A, B and C (HAV, HBV, HCV) viruses, but it can also be caused by infection with hepatitis D&E virus. Delta hepatitis Virus (HDV) infection occurs only in individuals infected with HBV, causing a hepatitis “super infection.” HDV occurs in about 5% of people infected with HBV.
The severity of disease varies depending on the causative virus and genotype of that virus; the first step in diagnosing a hepatitis infection is to screen for the type of virus and when it was contracted using highly sensitive immunoassays against virus specific antibodies.
Hepatitis A | Hepatitis B | Hepatitis C | Hepatitis D | Hepatitis E | |
Incubation Period | 14-45 Days | 60-180 Days | 14-180 Days | 30-180 Days | 15-60 Days |
Transmission | Fecal, oral, parenteral sexual | Parenteral sexual | Parenteral sexual | Fecal, oral, parenteral sexual | Fecaloral |
Onset | Acute | Insidious | Insidious | Insidious | Acute |
Chronic | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
Severity | Mild | Severe | Mild to severe | Severe | Severe in pregnant women |
Vaccine | Yes | Yes | No | Yes – Hepatitis B vaccine! | No |
HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM HEPATITIS
Hepatitis A & E
Hepatitis A Vaccine!
Cook food well & eat it while still hot
Avoid raw shellfish & raw meat
Wash fruits & veggies in CLEAN water
Wash your hands often
Only drink SAFE water
Safe sex practices
Hepatitis B, C & D
Hepatitis B Vaccine!
If hepatitis B positive, take precaution not to contract hepatitis D. Hepatitis D can only be contracted when hepatitis B is present!
Never share needles, razors or toothbrushes
If pregnant, consult your doctor for prevention techniques
Use only sterilized tattoo & piercing instruments
Safe sex practices
When possible, choose oral medications instead of injections
Always take precaution when handling blood, as hepatitis B can live outside the body for up to 7 days!
DETECTION AND DIFFERENTIATION OF HEPATITIS
Hepatitis A and E are often difficult to distinguish, resulting in misdiagnosis of the higher risk hepatitis E!
According to WHO, there are 1.4 million new cases of HAV infection each year, and 20 million new cases of HEV.
HEV is under-diagnosed due to lack of awareness and diagnostic algorithms to implement HEV during initial screening for suspected hepatitis patients.
With similar clinical presentation as HAV, HEV has also traditionally been considered an acute, self-limiting disease. However, HEV is distinct from HAV in that it can become chronic, resulting in progressive hepatitic injury and cirrhosis, manifestation outside of the liver, and fulminant hepatic failure. Chronic HEV has resulted in a 1-3% mortality rate that increases to 15-25% in pregnant women.
CTK’s HEPATITIS PRODUCT RANGE
CTK’s high quality, simplified diagnostic tools fits right into the key strategies of disease elimination Fast, accurate, and early diagnostics for various forms of viral hepatitis.
The most sensitive HAV rapid test on the market! CTK’s HAV IgG/IgM Rapid Test (R0092C) offers quick and accurate determination of Hepatitis A infection while differentiating:
- Early acute infection (IgM positive)
- Late phase acute infection (IgG and IgM positive)
- Protective immunity (IgG positive)
Features
Simple procedure; accurate results
- Indicates protective immunity by detecting HAV IgG titers ≥70 mIU/mL
- Single test for identifying acute infection and protective immunity by detecting IgG and IgM anti-HAV
- Initial action can begin during the patient’s visit as test results are available in 15 minutes
Flexible
- Flexible specimen types including serum, plasma, or whole blood
- Easily transported, and can be stored for 24 months, at 2-30° C
Please click here to download CTK’s offical newsletter, Volume 8, Issue 1, 2016