Hepatitis B

The vaccines your college freshman needs

Most parents know what vaccines their children need and at what age they should receive them, but they may not realize that their college-bound offspring need specific inoculations too.

Each state has different vaccination requirements for students, so if your child is going to an out-of-state school, he or she may be missing a few required vaccines. Most colleges require measles, mumps and rubella varicella, which is chickenpox or proof of having had the disease, hepatitis B, and a tetanus booster, which is  necessary only if it’s been 10 years since your last shot.

All of us should make sure we’re  properly vaccinated,  but it is especially important for college students. They live close together in dorms or in campus apartments and it’s very common for them to share bathrooms, showers, drinks and even towels.

“When you’re in close environments, classrooms, working out at the campus recreation centers, living in dorms, you’re more likely to come into contact with other people who are ill. The vaccines that we give can help prevent an overall outbreak,” says Dr. Maureen Olson, medical director of Student Health Services at Georgia Tech.

Because  freshmen can have a tough time adjusting to their new independent lives at college, Olson strongly urges these students to get all their vaccinations on time to reduce the risk of getting sick, an event that could add unnecessary stress.

In addition to required vaccines for college, other vaccines recommended in some cases for college-bound kids include shots to prevent pneumonia, human papillomavirus, hepatitis A, and meningitis.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, college freshmen, especially those who live in dormitories, are at an increased risk for contracting bacterial meningitis. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light, and an altered mental status, which may just sound like a bad hangover, but these actually are signs of a serious illness.

Both bacterial and viral meningitis are contagious and can easily spread to those around you, so it is smart to abstain from sharing drinks, kissing, and coming into direct contact with a lot of people. Since 2009, 34 states have passed laws requiring colleges to inform students of the risks and warning signs of this disease and 15 states have actually mandated that students be vaccinated.

Practicing healthy habits such as hand washing, cleaning contaminated surfaces with soap and water, and refraining from sharing drinks, utensils or lipstick also will reduce health risks.

However, if a student does become sick, it is equally important to prevent the spread of illness to classmates.

First, if you feel sick, don’t go to class. Instead, call your student health center so you can see a doctor and start taking medication. If you have flu, for example, the doctor will probably recommend that you stay in your room until the fever has subsided, usually within 24 hours.

Even though you may be feeling better, it is imperative that you continue to cover your coughs and sneezes, wash your hands often, avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth, and most important, get plenty of sleep, fluids, and nutritious food.

The CDC offers helpful tips on staying happy and healthy while away from home.

Hellena Achan was diagnosed with Hepatitis B virus when she was 32 years old. “I had a fever, headache, stomachache and my eyes turned yellow. A blood test revealed Hepatitis B virus,” she recalls.

Achan, now 35, and a mother of two, was fortunate to get timely treatment.

Hepatitis B virus remains a serious global health problem, with two billion people having ever been infected worldwide and 400 million still having the chronic form of the infection.

Hepatitis B virus is the 10th leading cause of death worldwide.

Currently, it is estimated that 10% of the Ugandan population (about 3.3 million people) has chronic Hepatitis B infection.

According to recent media reports, 10 people in Kitgum district were suspected to have the virus.

Dr. Ponsiano Ocama, a lecturer and liver specialist at Makerere University College of Health Science, observes that the distribution of the virus varies from area to area, with the highest figures being recorded in northern Uganda, where 20 to 24% of the population has chronic infection.

The lowest rate of about 4% has been registered in south-western Uganda. In Kampala, the prevalence rate falls between 6 and 7%, Kasese at 10%, North central (Gulu, Lira) is at 20%, West Nile at 19% and north-east at about 24% .

How it is spread

“Hepatitis B virus is found in blood and body fluids,” notes Dr.Ocama.

He says mother-to-child is the most common mode of transmission, with about 95% of babies getting it at birth from an infected mother or within the first five years of birth through the child-to-child mode, also referred to as the horizontal transmission.

Other ways of transmission include sharing of sharp instruments, sexual contact with an infected person and blood transfusion.

However, Ocama notes that a mother cannot infect the baby through breastfeeding because there is a low concentration of the virus in breast milk, as well as in sweat, urine and saliva. Also, touching or shaking hands of an infected person cannot spread the virus.

Ocama warns against discriminating against people infected with the Hepatitis B virus.

Signs and symptoms

“Over 95% of Hepatitis B virus patients do not show signs,” says Ocama.

He says when people get infected with the virus in early childhood, they may not show symptoms for decades.

A few patients will develop symptoms in the acute phase of infection, which may include fever, yellowing of the eyes, headache, joint pains and vomiting. Hepatitis B may be mistaken for malaria. In most cases, these symptoms will disappear on their own, but this does not mean that the virus is gone. A few patients die in the acute phase.

Diagnosis is by blood tests. The tests can be done in commercial laboratories around town. The results can be ready in about 10 minutes.

Health complications of Hepatitis B

Dr. Ocama describes Hepatitis B as a germ, which causes inflammation of the liver.

Hepatitis B virus causes a serious liver disease and the virus is 100 times more infectious than HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Once infected, there is an approximately one in 10 chances that the body will not get rid of the virus.

At its most severe form, Hepatitis B can damage the liver permanently and even kill. The chronic form will gradually progress to complications such as scarring of the liver (cirrhosis), liver cancer and chronic liver failure. All these conditions may present with abdominal pain, swelling of the belly and limbs, mental confusion and vomiting of blood.

The liver is one of the vital organs in the body and it is involved in processing most of the food we eat and keeping the blood healthy.