Pregnant woman

Hepatitis B: Have no cure but you should know this!

/0 Comments/in /by

Most times when people test positive for viral hepatitis B; they begin to wonder how they got it? So many questions start to run through their mind. In this article, we are going to discuss mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B virus infection , how it might be a cause of hepatitis B in people who don’t know how they got the virus, and how it can be prevented.

When Dayo was first told by his Doctor that he was hepatitis B positive, the first questions from him was ” what is hepatitis B? how did I get it? ” he asked.

”Hepatitis B is an infection caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV) transmitted via infected blood and body fluid” he was told.

 

But how did he get it?

There are several ways a person can contract hepatitis B virus infection, but mother-to-child transmission is one of the most common routes.

When a woman is pregnant, at her first prenatal (during pregnancy) visit to the clinic, she is screened for viral hepatitis B – this ensures early detection.

 

Why is this important?

It is estimated that 90% of children who contract hepatitis B from their mother during the process of childbirth will go on to live with it for the rest of their lives.

Furthermore, the risk of mother-to-child transmission is significantly higher in expectant mothers who have plasma HBV DNA levels greater than 2,000 IU/ML and/or are hepatitis B envelope antigen-positive (HBeAg positive).

In the absence of antiviral therapy and immunoprophylaxis (hepatitis B vaccine and hepatitis B immunoglobulin) about 70% to 90% of babies born to hepatitis B envelope positive (HBeAg positive), mothers might become positive for hepatitis B.

 

What can a family do to prevent their infant from getting infected with hepatitis B, if a mother is hepatitis B positive?

First, ensure an expectant mother get screened for hepatitis B and knows her status before term.

Secondly, antiviral therapy to prevent mother-to-child transmission should be initiated according to experts during week 28 to 32 of gestation, if a mother HBV DNA level is greater than 200,000 IU/mL and it should be discontinued at delivery, however, there are other factors to be considered.

Additionally, positive women who don’t meet the above criteria should monitor their status by doing a liver function test every 3 months during pregnancy and every 6 months after giving birth – the level of Alanine aminotransferase enzyme (ALT) has a lot to reveal.

Lastly, the baby should receive birth dose hepatitis B vaccination and hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG) within 12 hours of birth: this reduces the risk of a baby contracting hepatitis B by at least 92%.

In conclusion, chances are high Dayo must have gotten hepatitis B as a child from his infected mother, his condition was asymptomatic, and he got to discover his status 20 to 30 years later.

 

For enquiry contact Inocul8:

Mobile/WhatsApp: 08160962414

Email: [email protected]

SHE NEVER KNEW SHE COULD GET CERVICAL CANCER

/0 Comments/in /by

It all started as pain during sexual intercourse with her partner, then she started noticing abnormal vaginal bleeding between periods, unusual vaginal discharge, and heavier periods – these made Vivian very troubled and uncomfortable, and prompted her actions to seek help medically.

 

On visiting her doctor, she was interviewed, examined, and a Pap smear was conducted. The next day, she visited, her results were ready, and her Pap smear revealed she had abnormal malignant cells in her cervix: a sign of cervical cancer.

 

Vivian was scheduled for further investigation and subsequently, an operation was done to get rid of the abnormal cells – she was lucky to discover on time when cancer hadn’t spread to other parts of her body (metastasis). After successful surgery, she got vaccinated and lives happily and healthily with her family.

 

What happened in Vivian’s case?

 

First, she never prioritized her health; she wrongly thought she could not get cervical cancer because she didn’t have it in her family.

 

Secondly, she never went for Pap smear screening every 3 years or even HPV test, she never saw a need to get screened: forgetting it’s the best form of prevention.

 

Furthermore, she never knew most cases of cervical cancer are caused by Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) a highly contagious sexually transmitted virus – There are over 100 strains of HPV but strains 16 & 18 are highly implicated as the major cause of cervical cancer, whereas HPV 6 & 11 cause genital warts.

 

Fourthly, despite Vivian knew HPV is mostly spread through vaginal intercourse, anal intercourse, and oral sex, and can infect anyone sexually active. What she didn’t know is that – It is not spread through bodily fluid alone hence cannot be prevented completely using a condom. In addition, since HPV is also spread through skin-to-skin contact with an area of the body infected with the virus, thus, never having sex doesn’t guarantee not being infected.

 

Lastly, she thought she had passed the age to get vaccinated against HPV, not knowing even women up to 45 years can be vaccinated.

 

To find out more on how to prevent cervical cancer via screening and vaccination contact Inocul8 08160962414.

 

genital warts, warts, genitals, genital, hpv, hpv 6, hpv 11, human papillomavirus, sexual, condoms

When a condom is helpless: Genital warts

/0 Comments/in /by

John a tall and broad-built young man in his early thirties finds himself in a dilemma of genital warts months after having sex with a young lady. Will he find the solution he seeks? Why was condom ineffective in protecting him? This and many more you will find out on this episode.

 

One cool Monday morning while having his bath, he noticed some soft, moist, pink, and fresh-coloured bumps around his genitals and anus. He was shocked and curious, looked further to inspect what they were but he could not fathom or decipher these irritating (he was trypophobic) horny projection on his skin.

 

Feeling troubled he decided to do his research on Google, and then he discovered what he was having is similar to what he found on the internet: Genital warts. This was the first time he was hearing about a disease called genital warts.

 

The more he studied the more he became furious and agitated. He decided to visit his doctor the next day.

 

Doctor, patient

Hey John what brings you to me today? Hey Doc, there are these strange funny looking kinds of stuff around my genitals, I don’t feel comfortable having them on my body, I did a few findings on the internet and I think they are warts.

 

Come on John let me assess you. Truly they are genital warts. What must have caused them John asked? You know, unfortunately, more than 50% of sexually active men and women will be infected by the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) at some point in their lives. Warts you see are caused by HPV 6 & 11. The chances of even getting them are higher if you have multiple sexual partners because frequent sexual contact is the most consistent predictor of HPV infection- what I mean is this; the number of sexual partners is proportionately linked to the risk of HPV infection.

 

But I used protection he screamed angrily! Calm down John, Sadly, condom doesn’t give adequate protection against HPV; HPV is a very contagious sexually transmitted infection that spreads by skin-to-skin contact usually during oral, anal, or genital sex with an infected person. Other types of genital contact in the absence of penetration can also lead to infection – so in this case condom is helpless.

 

So what do we do now, he speaks in a low tone? There are several ways we go about treatment of warts; we can physically destroy them via electrosurgery, cryosurgery with liquid nitrogen or solid CO2, laser fulguration (drying), or we can apply podophyllum drug or even inject IFN-alpha, these are some of the effective ways to treat. I’ll suggest after successful treatment you get vaccinated to prevent reoccurrence.

 

Are warts prevented via vaccines he exclaimed!

 

To be continued….

For free consultation and counseling contact Inocul8 on 08160962414 or [email protected]