Hep B
The Causative Agent
Hepatitis is a viral infection of the liver. The primary microbe responsible for the manifestation of the disease is the Hepatitis B virus (HBV), which is a member of the hepadnavirus family. Other members of the hepadnavirus family affect both birds and small mammals including squirrels and woodchucks, but humans are the only known mammals to be susceptible to Hepatitis B in particular (Hepatitis B; McLachlan, 1991). Hepadnaviruses are double-stranded and double-shelled DNA. The Hepatitis B virus itself is only 42-nm with an electron-dense core of 27 nm (Zuckerman, 1996). It has a small genome but also has many antigenic compounds including HBsAg, HBcAg, and HBeAg. It is therefore highly resilient and can remain without a host for up to one week (Hepatitis B). Moreover, the hepatitis B virus replicates with reverse transcription, which is unusual (Zuckerman 1996).
Demographics, Morbidity and Mortality
About 2 billion people worldwide have been infected, and 350 million people worldwide develop chronic Hepatitis B infections (Hepatitis B Green Book; Hepatitis B Pink Book). The highest rates of prevalence for the Hepatitis B virus include sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and the Pacific Islands; whereas intermediate-prevalence regions of the world include the Amazon, the Indian subcontinent, Southern Europe, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East (Hepatitis B Green Book). North America and Western Europe have been designated as low prevalence regions by the World Health Organization (Hepatitis B Green Book). The modes...
The doctor said that I'm pretty healthy now, although I was bedridden for about two weeks during which time I changed my diet substantially to eat more fruits and vegetables and less red meat per the advice of the physician. I have also substantially increased my fluids intake -- I now drink eight glasses of water a day. The physician told me that for someone with my degree of
(Kanwal et al.) However, it has been found that in many cases alternative strategies to medication are often more effective. The following are a list of commonly prescribed drugs as approved by the FDA and their wholesale prices as of 2005. Lamivudine (100 mg) - monthly cost $204- annual cost $2,482 Adefovir (10 mg) - monthly cost $546 - annual cost $6,647 Entecavir (0.5 mg) - monthly cost $715 - annual cost
7. The limitations of the study are minimal, including only the fact that the study demonstrates only minimal literature review and would be strengthened by such review, specific to Uganda and not only inclusive of the whole of the region or the whole of Africa. This may be in part due the severely limited set of research information from which to pull from, but if so this is not explained
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
Hepatitis B There are a couple of different concerns for public health pertaining to Hepatitis B. Probably the most salient of these relates to the fact that this condition can be transferred amongst people via unprotected sexual activity. In this respect, this condition is just one of the many that people can incur through unsafe sex. Additionally, public health concerns related to Hepatitis B revolve around the fact that contact
This implies a crisis for the Asian community in proportion to the AIDS epidemic. The medical community erroneously has been the typical Caucasian model for the diagnosis and treatment which entails that Asians are the same make up as Caucasians. The hepatitis B virus has been rampant in Asia and a large percentage of mothers pass it on to their children during birth. Although the virus infects males and
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