Why Do You Need Us
The hepatitis b infection is a contagious disease that can possibly damage your liver completely if not treated on time. It is important that depending upon the condition of the individual the vaccinations are administered on time. We at Protea have the best team of nurses and doctors who are qualified to do the job. Also, we have vaccination services that are provided in the comfort of your home. Contact us through our website to make a booking.
How Long Do Hepatitis B Test Results Take
Fettle is committed to delivering your results within 72 hours of receiving your samples.
If your result is reactive, a Fettle clinician will call you to discuss your diagnosis, treatment options and help you find your nearest clinic.
If your result is negative, well let you know by text message as soon as your results are available.
We deliver resultswithin72 hours
Preparing Clients For Screening
Once clients are comfortable talking about viral , they might be more willing to undergo screening. However, clients might be anxious about the test itself a reassurance that testing is a simple procedure can help allay these concerns. Many substance use treatment facilities do not offer screening, and clients might need to be referred elsewhere. The following strategies can enhance the discussion of the hepatitis screening process and hepatitis prevention:
Recommended Reading: Most Common Symptoms Of Hepatitis C
Can I Take The Test At Home
Samples for hepatitis B testing can be collected at home. At-home hepatitis B testing requires a patient to collect a blood sample, typically from a fingerstick using a very small needle provided in the test kit. Once a blood sample is collected, it is prepared according to the instructions contained in the test kit and mailed to a laboratory for testing.
Because there are numerous types of tests for HBV, it is important to look closely at the specific components of any at-home test kit. Many at-home test kits only look for hepatitis B surface antigen .
Routine Minimum Hbv Surveillance In Canada
HBV infection has been reportable through the Canadian Notifiable Disease Surveillance System since 1969. Physicians are required to report clinically diagnosed HBV infection cases to their local health authority. Cases that meet the HBV infection surveillance case definition are officially reported to P/T public health authorities Footnote 15. Local laboratories are also required to report laboratory-confirmed HBV infection cases to provincial laboratories, which in turn report the cases to both local and P/T public health authorities. Aggregate data on HBV infection from all P/Ts are sent to the Public Health Agency of Canada on a regular basis. However, reporting practices across P/Ts remain inconsistent because some jurisdictions report only acute HBV infection cases, while others report acute and indeterminate HBV infection cases together. Since 2004, chronic HBV infection cases are also being reported by some P/Ts. Efforts to investigate and remove duplicate HBV infection cases vary across jurisdictions. In addition, risk factor information is not collected, and the case-by-case reporting utilized by some P/Ts does not contain standardized data elements.
The rate of reported acute and indeterminate HBV infection cases decreased in all age groups, particularly among age groups for whom recommendations for routine vaccination have applied.
| Year |
|---|
Read Also: The Cost Of Hepatitis C Treatment
What Are The Causes Of Hepatitis B
The hepatitis b infection is said to be highly contagious and can spread easily as the virus is known to be alive for 7 days outside the body. The hepatitis B causes can be correlated with the modes of transmission of the virus. Some of the modes of transmission of the virus include
1. When a person comes in contact with blood that has been infected by the virus.
2. If pricked with a needle contaminated with the virus, there are high chances of the disease being transmitted.
3. Can be passed on to the infant during childbirth if the mother is infected.
4. Personal hygiene item like razors or a toothbrush if shared with an infected person can transmit the infection through blood or other bodily fluids like saliva.
5. Intimate contact with a person already infected with the virus.
If I Have Hepatitis B And Feel Healthy Do I Need To Keep Going To My Doctor
Chronic hepatitis B is a silent disease because often no symptoms appear until your liver is severely damaged. Although many people with chronic hepatitis B have an inactive disease and will remain healthy, about one in four will have an active disease that may lead to cirrhosis, liver failure, and liver cancer.
Because hepatitis B has no symptoms until your liver is badly damaged, a blood test is the only way for your doctor to find out if your hepatitis B is active or inactive, and to offer treatment, if needed. To help your doctor monitor how your disease behaves over time, you will need lifelong repeat blood tests every six to 12 months. Some tests, such as HBV DNA may need to be done more frequently . No treatment is required while the virus is inactive, but you should continue to get regular blood tests from your doctor to monitor your liver disease.
Also Check: How To Cure Hepatitis A
Book Your Hbsag Test Online To Avail The Exclusive Offers And Cashback
Here are the simple steps to book your appointment at a discounted price.
- Choose the most suitable lab for your HBsAg test.
- Select your preferred date and time for your appointment.
- Enter the patient details and click submit.
- Congratulations! You have booked an appointment at a discounted price.
Book online yourself at any time of the day or night by clicking on the appropriate link in the table below.
Who Else Should Get Tested
Anyone who has hepatitis C symptoms should speak with a healthcare professional.
The HCV transmits via contact with blood, and it can pass from person to person through:
- sexual intercourse with someone who has the infection
- sharing personal items that may have come into contact with blood, such as razors
- tattooing in conditions that do not meet health and safety standards
- needle prick accidents in healthcare settings
Anyone who may have come into contact with the HCV should speak with a healthcare professional about having a test.
Read Also: Hepatitis C Can You Get It From Intercourse
Identifying Patterns Of Risky Behavior
Screening is an opportunity to draw attention to the clients behaviors that put him or her at risk for contracting :
- Ask for the clients perception of his or her risk for having contracted : How likely do you think it is that the test will be positive?
- Listen for and identify behaviors that put the client at risk for contracting , B, and C and HIV, especially unprotected sex and sharing injection drug paraphernalia.
- Assess the clients alcohol consumption.
Dried Blood Spot /microsample Specimen Collection
DBS collection and testing was found to provide sensitive and specific detection of HCV antibody by third-generation EIA testing of eluates , while the sensitivity of HCV core antigen detection was reduced compared to standard LBT using plasma or serum however, specificity was high . HCV RNA quantification from DBS was reported to be lower than LBT viral load tests in chronic HCV patients , but quantification values were more accurate with an increase in the number of DBS punched spots used . However, a study by Wlassow et al. , in which the Xpert HCV Viral Load assay was used to detect and quantify HCV RNA in DBS whole blood, showed excellent correlation of quantification with serum-based Xpert HCV Viral Load testing and two commercial real-time PCR viral load assays . DBS collection provides options within LMIC or remote areas for confirmatory testing or monitoring of HCV viral load levels, as patients are typically lost to post-screening follow-up requiring a visit to a healthcare facility .
The major limitation with the use of DBS or other absorptive blood collection formats is the lower sensitivity of detection often observed when compared to standard LBT testing of fresh plasma or serum collected by venous puncture . Another important limitation is the need for a central or reference laboratory for DBS processing . Results may not be obtained within the same day and this can delay linkage to care and treatment of patients .
Also Check: Hepatitis B Can It Be Cured
Who Should Get A Hepatitis C Screening
If youre under 18, you may or may not need a parents or guardians consent to get tested. State laws on minor consent for medical care vary. If youve been exposed to hepatitis C or feel that you need a test for any reason, dont let your age stop you from getting the medical help you need.
If left untreated, hepatitis C can have serious consequences for your health. If you test positive, you can also pass the virus onto others.
The recommends universal hepatitis C screening for:
- all adults aged 18 and over
- pregnant people
Can Hepatitis B Be Prevented
The best way to prevent infection is to take the Hepatitis B vaccine. The vaccination is highly recommended these days by doctors. You have to take three vaccines to complete the series. The following groups should receive the Hepatitis B vaccine:
- all infants, at the time of birth
- any children and adolescents who werent vaccinated at birth
- adults being treated for a sexually transmitted infection
- HIV-positive individuals
- individuals with chronic diseases
- people traveling to areas with high rates of Hepatitis B
These days everyone should receive the Hepatitis B vaccine. Its a very safe vaccine and relatively inexpensive.
There are also many other ways to reduce other risks of HBV infection.
It is always better to ask your sexual partners to get tested for Hepatitis B if any symptoms are there and feel free to discuss the risk of transmitting it to her or him. Every time you have sex, use a new latex condom, but always remember that using a condom can only reduce but it doesnt eliminate the risk.
Avoid drug use. Always check to see if your destination has a high incidence of Hepatitis B especially if youre traveling internationally and make sure that you are fully vaccinated prior to travel. Never share needles and syringes. And dont share your toothbrush and razor blades, which may carry traces of infected blood.
Other topics you may be interested in:-
Read Also: What Is Autoimmune Hepatitis C
What Are The Side Effects
Vaccines are very safe. It is much safer to get the vaccine than to get hepatitis B.
Many people have no side effects from the vaccine. However, for those that do, common side effects may include soreness, redness and swelling where the vaccine was given. Some may experience a mild fever.
It is important to stay in the clinic for 15 minutes after getting any vaccine because there is a very rare possibility, between one in 100,000 and one in a million, of a life-threatening allergic reaction called anaphylaxis. This may include hives, difficulty breathing, or swelling of the throat, tongue or lips. Should this reaction occur, your health care provider is prepared to treat it. Emergency treatment includes administration of epinephrine and transfer by ambulance to the nearest emergency department. If symptoms develop after you leave the clinic, call 9-1-1 or the local emergency number.
It is important to always report serious or unexpected reactions to your health care provider.
How Much Does The Test Cost
The cost of hepatitis B testing depends on the tests that are performed, where the test is conducted, and a patientâs health insurance coverage. When testing is ordered by a doctor, patients with health insurance may find it helpful to discuss the cost of testing with their health insurance company as they may be responsible for testing costs as well as other out-of-pocket costs such as copays and deductibles.
For patients without health insurance or for whom insurance doesnât cover the cost of testing, it may be helpful to discuss the cost of hepatitis B testing with a doctor or hospital administrator.
The cost of at-home hepatitis B testing starts around $45. At-home test kits may also test for additional types of viral hepatitis in the same sample. The cost of test panels that look for more than one type of viral hepatitis start around $80.
Don’t Miss: What Organ Does Hepatitis B Affect
Educating Clients About Viral Hepatitis
Clients may believe they know about viral , but their understanding of the disease may not be accurate. It is easy to confuse the three main types of viral , B, and C. Clients may have formed impressions based on limited or incorrect information. Counselors should briefly describe hepatitis A, B, and C, including their prevalence, , and relationship to drug use, as well as to other infections, such as HIV and sexually transmitted diseases. Specific strategies for speaking with clients include:
- Speak clearly and keep the message simple, focused, and brief.
- Use language, examples, and concepts that the client understands.
- Use appropriate visual aids.
- Frame numerical statements in terms that are easy to visualize. Say 5 out of 100 people rather than 5 percent of the population say more than half instead of the majority.
- Repeat the information at different times in different ways. The average client retains only approximately one-third of what he or she is told. Summarize essential points.
- Pay attention to a clients response to the information. For example, if a client stiffens his or her posture, consider saying, I notice that this topic seems to make you uncomfortable. It does for a lot of people. Please tell me what youre feeling right now. Id really like to help you with this.
- Use the opportunity to describe the potential detrimental effects of alcohol and other substance use on the liver of a person who is infected with HCV.
What To Expect During An Hcv Test
Initial screening for hepatitis C involves taking the HCV antibody test, which can show whether a person has ever had the infection.
These antibodies are chemicals in the bloodstream that the body makes to combat the HCV. The test checks the blood for these antibodies.
For of people with the infection, the body clears the virus within 6 months without treatment.
Once the body makes these antibodies, they remain detectable, even after the person has cleared the infection. If a test shows that the HCV antibodies are present, the healthcare professional will perform a second test. This is called a nucleic acid test, and it can confirm whether the person still has the infection. If so, it is called a chronic infection.
Also Check: What Do You Do If You Have Hepatitis C
How To Get Tested
Hepatitis B testing is typically prescribed by a doctor and performed in a hospital, lab, or other medical setting. Taking a hepatitis B test requires a blood sample, which can be collected by a health care professional.
For laboratory-based testing, blood is drawn from a patientâs vein. After blood is collected, the sample is sent to a laboratory for analysis.
The Hepatitis B Vaccination Dose
Infants and Children up to 10 years: Initially a 5mcg dose is administered, and the next two are given after 1 and six months.
For adolescents between 11-15 years: The initial vaccine dose is 10 mcg, and later 2 boosters are given after 4th and 6th month.
For adults 16 years onwards: Initial dose of 10 mcg and then after 1 and 6 months the two boosters are required to be given.
Dialysis or pre-dialysis patients require about a dose of 40 mcg
Don’t Miss: Hepatitis C Antibody Test Negative
What Are The Symptoms
What happens to you when you contract hepatitis B depends largely on the age at which you first become infected and how well your immune system copes with the virus. If you are infected as an adult, you may have a brief illness with mild or moderate symptoms such as jaundice, dark urine, fatigue, abdominal discomfort, and loss of appetite. As an adult, you have a 95% chance of clearing the infection completely and developing lifelong protection against this virus. The acute infection rarely leads to severe illness that requires a liver transplant.
Most babies and children exposed to this virus never have signs and symptoms. Unfortunately, they are more likely to become carriers of hepatitis B for life because their immune system is unable to fight and clear the virus from their body. In these cases, chronic infections are often not detected or picked up until much later in life when the person becomes seriously ill with liver disease.
Chronic hepatitis B infection goes through different phases that also show how well your body is coping with the virus. Although most people with chronic hepatitis B have an inactive disease and will remain healthy, about one in four will have active disease that may lead to cirrhosis , liver failure, and liver cancer.
People who are healthy with an inactive disease may still be at risk of virus reactivation, especially when their immune system is weakened by medicines such as chemotherapy or by other viral infections.
How Is It Used
The main uses for hepatitis B virus tests include:
Some of the secondary reasons to perform testing include: to screen for hepatitis B infection in at-risk populations or in blood donors, to determine if someone is a carrier, to detect a resolved infection, and to determine if immunity has developed due to vaccination.
Generally, one set of tests is used as an initial panel of tests to detect HBV infection or to determine the cause of acute symptoms while another set of tests may be used after a diagnosis is made to monitor possible progression of the disease, to detect chronic infection, and/or to determine carrier status.
The following table summarizes the set of tests typically used for initial testing:
The following table summarizes tests that may be used as follow-up after initial tests detect an HBV infection:
You May Like: Hepatitis A Vs B Vs C