Verified Document

Communicable Disease: Hepatitis B Essay

¶ … epidemiology nursing research a communicable disease. Communicable Disease Selection Choose communicable disease list: 1. Chickenpox 2. Tuberculosis 3. Influenza 4. Communicable diseases according to (Copstead & Banasik, 2010) is a condition or infection that is transmissible through coming into contact with an infected person. Contact with the infected person comprises of contact with an infected person bodily fluids (blood, saliva, or mucus), droplets, and/or air or food (Copstead & Banasik, 2010). Coming into contact in any of the above ways contributes to individual's illness. The pathogens transmitted through the body fluids and air encroaches upon the body compromising the normal functioning of body cells. This compromise may have differing impacts upon an individual's health ranging from a terminal illness to death.

Hepatitis BCommunicable Disease: Hepatitis B

Communicable diseases are diseases that can be transmitted via contact, droplet, air/food borne, blood, bodily fluids or congenital infection and cause individuals to become ill. The pathogens invade the body and damage normal cell functions, which could potentially cause death. Hepatitis B has infected over 200 billion people worldwide and killed over one million individuals per year (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2013). The hepatitis B virus (HBV) can be prevented through education, spreading awareness and getting vaccinated which provides a lifetime of protection.

Over 200 billion people since the first case have been diagnosed with Hepatitis B in the world over. The number of individuals said to have suffered the demise following Hepatitis B infections stand at over one million per year (World Health Organization, 2013). Through awareness creation, education and vaccination spread of Hepatitis B is preventable. Vaccination is the ultimate measure of protection since it offers a lifetime protection from accusations of the virus causing the condition resulting to Hepatitis B (World Health Organization, 2013).

Description of Hepatitis B

Hepatitis B is a viral infection that is caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). It attacks the liver and can cause both acute and chronic disease. Acute HBV lasts less than six months and ones immune system is able to fight and clear the infection. Chronic HBV lasts longer than...

Occasionally chronic HBV can go undetected for years due to a person being asymptomatic (Mayo Clinic, 2011).
Mode of Hepatitis B is a virus-caused the infection that attacks an individual's Liver and causing illness ranging from acute to chronic levels. The virus causing Hepatitis B is the hepatitis B virus (HBV) and once in the body system on individual it can go undetected for a lengthy period of years. The two types of illnesses (acute and chronic) differ considering the length of time a normal body immune system takes to fight and clear the infection. In the case of Acute HBV, the body's immune system is capable of fighting and clearing the infection in less than six months. For the case of Chronic HBV, the body immune system is unable to fight the condition in less than six months. The resulting situation from the body system failure to fight the infection is cancer, liver failure or cirrhosis. In occasional cases, HBV will likely go undetected for a number of years following an individual being an asymptomatic person (Mayo Clinic, 2011)

Transmission Mode

In highly infected areas of the world, HBV is most commonly spread from mother to her baby at birth or from person to person in early childhood (World Health Organization [WHO], 2013). The HBV is also spread via parenteral contact with infected blood or blood products, sharing of or accidental needle sticks and having unprotected sex with someone who's blood, saliva, semen or vaginal secretions are infected and enter your body (Copstead and Banasik, 2010).

Signs and Symptoms

Signs and symptoms of HBV may never appear or appear over a two to six-month period. Signs and symptoms include abdominal pain, dark urine, fever, joint pain, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, weakness, fatigue and jaundice (yellowing of the skin and/or sclera) (Mayo Clinic, 2011).

The most prevalent mode of transmission of HBV is from the mother to child at childbirth or from one person to the other in early (World Health Organization, 2013). Exposure to infected blood following parenteral procedure, bodily fluid exchange, sharing syringe and accidental needle sticks serve as other means of contracting HBV. Infection through bodily fluid exchanges may occur…

Sources used in this document:
Demographics

Approximately 60,000 people die every year from HBV (WHO, 2013). There are about 200 billion people living around the world with HBV with an estimated 1.2 million living in the United States (CDC, 2013). In 2011, the United States was estimated to have 18,800 actual new cases of the HBV (CDC, 2013). Those who are at greatest risk for developing HBV are Asian and Pacific Islanders, African-Americans, gay and bisexual individuals, those who have multiple sex partners and do not practice safe sex or are intravenous drug users. Gay and bisexual men make up 20% of new HBV cases and 50% Asian and Pacific Islanders are living with HBV (CDC, 2013). Most Asian and Pacific Islanders were infected with HBV as infants or children and 1 in 12 are living with it and are not even aware.

According to 2013 World Health Organization's publication, approximately sixty thousand people die every year due to HBV infections. In the globe, an estimate of about two billion persons are infected with 1.2 million of this [persons living in the United States (World Health Organization, 2013). Individual at the greatest risk of acquiring HBV infections include; African-Americans, Asian, Pacific Islanders, bisexual and gay individuals. Additional to the persons
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Communicable Disease
Words: 1456 Length: 4 Document Type: Research Paper

Communicable Disease: Influenza Description of the Disease Influenza or "the flu" is a common illness in the winter months, all throughout the United States and many other countries. Both birds and all mammals can contract influenza (Brankston, et al., 2007). In recent years there have been scares regarding "bird flu" and "swine flu," both of which are simply different strains of influenza. The cause of the flu is an RNA virus in

Disease Surveillance Evolution of Disease
Words: 680 Length: 2 Document Type: Research Paper

Some of these illnesses have unique features which make them particularly difficult to track as subjects of surveillance. For example, Lyme tests are often unreliable. Also, "many viruses and bacteria cause nonspecific syndromes or symptom complexes that include most diarrheal and respiratory symptoms" (Ritz, Tager, & Balms 2005). This is also true of tracking the efficacy of treatments: "in cases where there are long delays between the implementation of

Hepatitis B Virus Infection
Words: 1453 Length: 5 Document Type: Essay

Hepatitis B Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a major public health problem across the globe as it contributes to nearly 1 million deaths annually. It is an infection that basically attacks the liver and has the potential to generate acute and chronic diseases. This communicable disease is mostly transmitted from mother to child during birth. Additionally, HBV is transmitted through contact with body fluids like blood. Since it is a life-threatening

Tuberculosis Communicable Disease: Tuberculosis Is a Widespread,
Words: 1532 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

Tuberculosis Communicable disease: Tuberculosis Tuberculosis is a widespread, lethal, and infectious/transmittable disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This bacterial infection usually begins in the form of innumerable strains of mycobacteria. In the past, tuberculosis was also termed as Phthisis or Phthisis pulmonalis. Its short form is known worldwide to be TB, or MTB. Stereotypically, tuberculosis is a lung infection that attacks the lungs; however, it can as well affect the other parts of

Educating the Stakeholders to Eliminate Transmission of Hepatitis...
Words: 1425 Length: 5 Document Type: Research Paper

Epidemiological Aspects of Hepatitis B in Community-Based Health Educating About Hepatitis B Overview of Hepatitis B Epidemiology Hepatitis B is caused by infection with the Hepatitis B virus (HBV) ("CDC," 2012). The highest concentrations of HBV are found in blood, while other body fluid, such as semen, vaginal secretions, and wound exudates, show lower concentrations ("CDC," 2012). HBV infection can be either chronic or self-limited ("CDC," 2012). The incubation period can range from

Observation of Hepatitis B Community Group Meeting
Words: 1617 Length: 5 Document Type: Essay

Community Group Meeting Observation for Hepatitis B One of the major ways of promoting personal involvement in health policy issues is through involvement in community group meeting. Personal involvement in health policy issues regarding Hepatitis B is also facilitated through participation and observation in a community group meeting. While they are not professional meetings, community group meetings influence policy formulation through discussions on various issues relating to the community in relation

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now