How Long Before I Have Symptoms
Many people have mild symptoms or no symptoms, which is why hepatitis is sometimes called a âsilentâ disease.
Hepatitis A. The symptoms usually show up 2 to 6 weeks after the virus enters your body. They usually last for less than 2 months, though sometimes you can be sick for as long as 6 months.
Some warning signs that you may have hepatitis A are:
Hepatitis B. The symptoms are the same as hepatitis A, and you usually get them 3 months after you’re infected. They could show up, though, anywhere from 6 weeks to 6 months later.
Sometimes the symptoms are mild and last just a few weeks. For some people, the hep B virus stays in the body and leads to long-term liver problems.
Hepatitis C. The early symptoms are the same as hepatitis A and B, and they usually happen 6 to 7 weeks after the virus gets in your body. But you could notice them anywhere from 2 weeks to 6 months later.
For about 25% of people who get hep C, the virus goes away on its own without treatment. In other cases, it sticks around for years. When that happens, your liver might get damaged.
Remember, it’s possible to spread all the types of hepatitis even if you don’t show any signs of being sick.
How Can I Protect Myself And Others
You can protect yourself by getting vaccinated. This is especially important if you belong to one of the high-risk groups. You’re high risk if you:
- have close contact with someone with the infection
- are a gay man or have sex with men who have sex with men
- inject drugs
- travel to parts of the world where the infection is common.
There is a vaccine which can protect you against both hepatitis A and B.
If you’re in a high-risk group for hepatitis B you can usually get vaccinated for free by your GP or at your sexual health clinic.
You may need a booster injection of the vaccination after five years.
If you have hepatitis B, tell people you live with or recently had sex with to urgently ask their doctor about vaccination. Avoid sex until told you’re no longer infectious.
Although not as effective as being vaccinated, you can also cut the risk by:
- using condoms for penetrative sex
- a latex barrier for rimming.
If you’re a carrier, you may want to tell a partner and explain that you’re infectious. That allows them to decide if they want to take precautions or are happy to take any risk.
That way they cannot accuse you of infecting them without them knowing the risk was there.
If you’re not vaccinated against hepatitis B and are exposed to the virus, theres a treatment which may stop you being infected. Hepatitis B immunoglobulin is an injection of antibodies. It’s best to get it within 48 hours of exposure you’ll be vaccinated at the same time.
How Do You Know If You Have Hepatitis B
Signs and symptoms can vary, in particular by the age of the individual. Many individuals may not show symptoms . When symptoms develop, they include fever, joint pain, abdominal pain, fatigue, lack of appetite, nausea, vomiting, dark urine, clay-coloured bowel movements, or jaundice.
Most infections are asymptomatic or mild. Occasionally, people with serious cases of hepatitis B require hospitalization. A very small proportion of these patients develop a critical form of the disease called “fulminant” hepatitis B. This condition results from a sudden breakdown of liver function.
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Hepatitis B And Your Liver
The liver is such an important organ that we can survive only one or two days if it completely shuts down – if the liver fails, your body will fail, too. Fortunately, the liver can function even when up to 80% of it is diseased or removed. This is because it has the amazing ability to regenerate – or create – itself from healthy liver cells that still exist.
If your body were an automobile, your liver would be considered the engine. It does hundreds of vital things to make sure everything runs smoothly:
- Stores vitamins, sugar and iron to help give your body energy
- Controls the production and removal of cholesterol
- Clears your blood of waste products, drugs and other poisonous substances
- Makes clotting factors to stop excessive bleeding after cuts or injuries
- Produces immune factors and removes bacteria from the bloodstream to combat infection
- Releases a substance called “bile” to help digest food and absorb important nutrients
The word hepatitis actually means inflammation of the liver. Thus, hepatitis B refers to inflammation of the liver caused by the hepatitis B virus. With early detection and appropriate follow-up medical care, people living with a chronic hepatitis B infection can expect to enjoy a long and healthy life.
Scientists Discover Hepatitis C Virus Can Remain Infectious Outside Of The Body For Up To 6 Weeks
Dr. Ronald ValdiserriA recent study by researchers from the Yale Schools of Medicine and Public Health revealed that the hepatitis C virus can remain infectious for up to 6 weeks on surfaces at room temperatureresulting in a much longer period for potential transmission than was previously appreciated. Prior to this study, scientists believed that HCV could survive for up to four days on surfaces outside of the body. These findings have implications for the safety of patients and workers in healthcare settings as well as for reducing viral hepatitis transmission associated with drug useboth of which are priority areas outlined in the national Action Plan for the Prevention, Care and Treatment of Viral Hepatitis.
Our findings clearly demonstrate that strict infection control practices and universal precautions are needed in the clinical setting to avoid contact with infectious agents such as HCV that can survive on surfaces, noted study co-author Professor Robert Heimer of the Yale School of Public Health in a release announcing the study findings. The implications go beyond the clinic to the risk environment of people who use syringes outside of medical care settings. Unsafe practices, such as sharing of syringes by people who inject drugs or careless handling of human blood during home delivery of intravenous medications, can lead to HCV transmission.
Implications for Preventing Healthcare-Associated HCV Transmission
Dr. Jag H. Khalsa
Topics
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How Do You Get Hepatitis A
The main way you get hepatitis A is when you eat or drink something that has the hep A virus in it. A lot of times this happens in a restaurant. If an infected worker there doesn’t wash their hands well after using the bathroom, and then touches food, they could pass the disease to you.
Food or drinks you buy at the supermarket can sometimes cause the disease, too. The ones most likely to get contaminated are:
- Shellfish
- Ice and water
You could catch or spread it if you’re taking care of a baby and you don’t wash your hands after changing their diaper. This can happen, for example, at a day care center.
Another way you can get hep A is when you have sex with someone who has it.
When To Get Medical Advice
Hepatitis B can be serious, so you should get medical advice if:
- you think you may have been exposed to the hepatitis B virus emergency treatment can help prevent infection if given within a few days of exposure
- you have symptoms associated with hepatitis B
- you’re at a high risk of hepatitis B high-risk groups include people born in a country where the infection is common, babies born to mothers infected with hepatitis B, and people who have ever injected drugs
You can go to your local GP surgery, drug service, genitourinary medicine clinic or sexual health clinic for help and advice.
A blood test can be carried out to check if you have hepatitis B or have had it in the past.
The hepatitis B vaccine may also be recommended to reduce your risk of infection.
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What Can I Do If I Think I Have Hepatitis B
Cases are generally diagnosed by GPs, not sexual health clinics. If you had sex with someone recently or you share your house with others, they can be vaccinated to stop them getting the infection they should see a doctor straight away.
Avoid sex until you are told youre no longer infectious or until your partners have been vaccinated.
A blood test will confirm whether you have the virus.
Hepatitis C: Who’s At Risk And How Long Does The Virus Survive Outside The Body
Hepatitis C is a contagious liver disease that ranges in severity from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a serious, lifelong illness that attacks the liver.
Dr Suresh Singhvi
Hepatitis C is a contagious liver disease that ranges in severity from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a serious, lifelong illness that attacks the liver. It results from infection with the Hepatitis C virus , which is spread primarily through contact with the blood of an infected person.
Who’s at risk?
Some people are at increased risk for Hepatitis C, including:
– Current injection drug users
– Past injection drug users, including those who injected only one time or many years ago
– Recipients of donated blood, blood products, and organs
– Hemodialysis patients or persons who spent many years on dialysis for kidney failure
– People who received body piercing or tattoos done with non-sterile instruments
– People with known exposures to the Hepatitis C virus, such as:
– Health care workers injured by needlesticks
– Recipients of blood or organs from a donor who tested positive for the Hepatitis C virus
– HIV-infected persons
– Children born to mothers infected with the Hepatitis C virus
Less common risks include:
– Having sexual contact with a person who is infected with the Hepatitis C virus
– Sharing personal care items, such as razors or toothbrushes, that may have come in contact with the blood of an infected person
Risk of a pregnant woman passing Hepatitis C to her baby
Recommended Reading: Hepatitis C Screening Guidelines Cdc
How To Avoid Getting Hiv
Abstinence, or not having sex, is the only type of protection that works every time. But if you are having sex, you can lower your risk if you:
- Use a condom every time you have sex
- Get tested for HIV and STDs
- Limit the number of people you have sex with
- Donât inject yourself with drugs
Talk to your doctor right away if you think youâve been exposed to the virus. They can help you figure out next steps.
How Does Hiv Spread
HIV spreads when blood or certain bodily fluids that have high amounts of active virus are exposed to ones bloodstream.
For a person to contract HIV, there must be enough active virus in the fluid that encounters the bloodstream. This can occur through:
- a mucous membrane, or moist skin, such as in the mouth, rectum, penis, or vagina
- a significant opening in the skin
- injection
Transmission of the virus most often happens during anal or vaginal sex, but it can also occur by sharing needles.
Factors that affect the survival of HIV outside the body include:
- Temperature. HIV stays alive and active when kept in the cold but is killed by heat.
- Sunlight. Ultraviolet light in sunshine damages the virus, so its no longer able to reproduce.
- Amount of virus in the fluid. Generally, the higher the level of HIV virus in the fluid, the longer it will take for all of it to become inactive.
- Level of acidity. HIV survives best at a pH around 7 and becomes inactive when the environment is even just a little more or less acidic.
- Environmental humidity. Drying will lower the viral concentration of active virus as well.
When any of these factors arent perfect for HIV in its environment, survival time of the virus goes down.
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Overview Of Viral Hepatitis
You come in here to stop drinking and using drugs I dont want to die no more. I dont want to go, to live in a box. I dont want to eat out of the garbage. I dont want to go to jail. I want to change. And 2 weeks, 3 weeks into this thing, Im just starting to feel right, and I get news that I got .
A Clients Perspective
Do Condoms Stop Hiv Being Passed On
Yes.Using a condom correctly prevents contact with semen or vaginal secretions , stopping HIV from being passed on. The virus cannot pass through the latex of the condom.
Condoms should only be used with a water-based lubricant as oil-based lube weakens them.
People with HIV who are on effective treatment and have an undetectable viral load cannot pass on HIV through any of their body fluids.
Its also important to remember that if you have sex without a condom other sexually transmitted infections can be passed on.
Sex without a condom can also result in pregnancy if other contraception is not being used.
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Who Publishes Updated Guidance On Validation Of Elimination Of Mother
WHO has updated its Global guidance on criteria and processes for validation: elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B virus. This third version of global guidance incorporates EMTCT of HBV towards validation of triple elimination and provides standardized processes and criteria to both validate EMTCT of HIV, syphilis and HBV, and to recognize high burden countries that have made significant progress on the path to elimination .
The similarity of the critical interventions necessary to prevent transmission adds to the feasibility and benefit of an integrated approach to EMTCT of all three infections as triple elimination. Building on an integrated maternal and child health platform, WHO has moved to operationalize universal health coverage in the context of integrated communicable disease prevention.
The guidance strongly emphasizes country-led accountability, rigorous analysis, intensive programme assessment and multilevel collaboration, including the involvement of communities of women living with HIV or HBV, or affected by syphilis. A harmonized approach to triple elimination is encouraged within a public health, rights-based and person-centred approach but depending on readiness, countries may choose to pursue validation of single, dual or triple EMTCT.
Reference
1. Ending AIDS: progress towards the 909090 targets. Global AIDS update 2017. Geneva: Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS 2017
How Long Can A Virus Live Outside A Body
Asked by: Chaudhary Nikul, India
Viruses can live for a surprisingly long time outside of a body, depending on conditions such as moisture and temperature. They tend to live longer on water-resistant surfaces, such as stainless steel and plastics.
A cold virus can sometimes survive on indoor surfaces for several days, although its ability to cause infection drops dramatically over time.
Flu viruses can survive in the air for several hours, especially at lower temperatures, and on hard surfaces they can survive and remain infectious for 24 hours.
Enteric viruses, such as norovirus and hepatitis A, can survive for weeks on a surface if conditions are suitable. The norovirus is known for causing sickness outbreaks in schools, cruise ships and hospitals.
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How Many Minutes Will Hiv Survive Outside The Body
If you’ve come into contact with some blood or other body fluid that you think might contain HIV, it’s understandable to have some concern about the possibility of HIV transmission. But you can rest assured that there haven’t been any cases of HIV transmission through casual contact with blood or semen that has left behind on a surface. There haven’t even been any cases after people have come across discarded syringes or needles.
This is partly because it’s extremely unusual for this situation to involve any opportunity for an infected body fluid to enter the person’s bloodstream — it does not reach a mucous membrane or an open wound.
So in practical terms, there’s little reason to worry about contact with body fluids that have already been outside a person’s body for some minutes.
There isn’t a simple, straightforward answer to the question of how long HIV survives outside the body. In certain, specific circumstances it may survive more than a few minutes. But it generally does not remain infectious and certainly does not pose a threat to people’s health.
The conditions that a body fluid is exposed to greatly affect survival. Air dries out the fluid, which contains the virus, greatly reducing viral amounts. On the other hand, in the enclosed space inside a used syringe the virus can survive some time — this explains why re-using needles and syringes is risky.
Symptoms Of Hepatitis B
Many people with hepatitis B will not experience any symptoms and may fight off the virus without realising they had it.
If symptoms do develop, they tend to happen 2 or 3 months after exposure to the hepatitis B virus.
Symptoms of hepatitis B include:
- flu-like symptoms, including tiredness, a fever, and general aches and pains
- loss of appetite
- tummy pain
- yellowing of the skin and eyes
These symptoms will usually pass within 1 to 3 months , although occasionally the infection can last for 6 months or more .
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How Long Can Hiv Survive Outside The Body
Once outside the body, HIV usually cant survive for very long. Coming into contact with blood or semen that has been outside the body doesnt generally pose a risk for HIV transmission.
Similarly, the risk of passing on HIV to someone else if you have a detectable viral load and cut yourself is also very low. Wash away any blood with soap and hot water and cover the wound with a sticking plaster or dressing.