Hepatitis B

[Sheryl]

An unhelpful post has been removed.

[nisakiman]

I wouldn't worry too much about it. I got hep B when I was in Afghanistan in 1967, and I'm still here, alive, kicking and generally doing all the things that the health fascists tell us will kill us tomorrow if we don't stop. Also, since then I have had four children by two wives and I'm on my third wife now, and none of them has shown any sign of contracting the disease. The last liver function test I had several years ago came back A-OK, despite the fact that I'm a man who likes a drink.

We are all different, of course, but the medical establishment is well known for talking up risks - it keeps that six-figure salary coming in.

As for how you got it, it can be as simple as using an infected glass or spoon that hasn't been properly washed. The luck of the draw, mate.

[wcoast]

Can't believe your searching for medical advice here...your doctor or a local community health center should have tons of info for you. You will not die..you will not get cancer..you may or may not transmit it to others in the early stages. You may or may not develop antibodies. You will have antigen markers that you have had the disease. Your liver is now weakened. You should not drink alcohol..and you certainly should not drink hard alcohol for the rest of your life. Eat well.. rest and recuperate... You can get reinfected. After a few years where your body has stabilized and your antigen count is normalized you should consider vaccination. Carriers may or may not have symptoms. Not everyone who has HepB is a carrier. Only blood tests can determine if you have been exposed.

Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk

[Tolley]

I had hep b in 1980 and my liver is still going fine. I am not sure about the part of not drinking again. The liver regenerates itself so even if you have hep B after a period of time you liver should be back in good condition.

[puukao]

I bet this is pretty scary at times, but don't get too stressed out about it and take care of business. Things will work out fine. Take care. See a doctor, take some meds, don't get too depressed, and move on. good luck.

[yank]

A US Marine that was not immunized for hepatitis B, sounds strange.

Got discharged in 1985. It must have not been a required shot back then or else I wouldnt have gotten it.

[yank]

Just out of interest did your Doctor test you for Hep B or did she tell you you had Hep B. I had similar symptoms

and it was gall bladder related. I have had the Twin Rix vaccination and have been tested a number of times

and the tests have all come back negative.

She told me right away after examining me and did a blood test and it came back positive.

[yank]

Can't believe your searching for medical advice here...your doctor or a local community health center should have tons of info for you. You will not die..you will not get cancer..you may or may not transmit it to others in the early stages. You may or may not develop antibodies. You will have antigen markers that you have had the disease. Your liver is now weakened. You should not drink alcohol..and you certainly should not drink hard alcohol for the rest of your life. Eat well.. rest and recuperate... You can get reinfected. After a few years where your body has stabilized and your antigen count is normalized you should consider vaccination. Carriers may or may not have symptoms. Not everyone who has HepB is a carrier. Only blood tests can determine if you have been exposed. Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk

Searched on here because I got it in Thailand and to see If anybody else had it and how they are doing now.

[Jingthing]

Had it in the 1970's. I even donated blood that was used in the world's first commercial Hep B. vaccine. Human blood is no longer used in current generation vaccines. So if you got this vaccine in the early 80's, hiya cousin! OK, well it might have been, the researchers took my blood but never told me if it made the the cut.

Markers stay in your blood for life.

I have kind of a "funny" story about this. I don't really know how I got it precisely. When I went to my doc, he asked me and I told him the truth that my roommate (non-sexual) had come down with Hep B as well, so of course he assumed it was from sex. So he asked about what happened with the roommate and said truthfully that we cooked meals together sometimes and might have shared kitchen utensils. For sure, the doc thought I was lying.

I don't know what it's like now, but in the U.S. at the time, all cases of Hep B had to be reported to government authorities.

Yes, talk to a good doc about your specific concerns.

Edited January 21, 2014 by Jingthing

[falangadang]

I contracted Hep B about 13 years ago from a trusted partner who denied any knowledge of having it. She could have been a carrier.

The initial illness hit me like a truck and I was out with a fever and felt like death warmed up for about 3 or 4 days. Then started to notice the sores on my pee pee and so went off to see the doctor.

I hadn't got a clue what it was all about and when he told me I had genital herpes I was like "no way" that can't be so!

When I asked how to get rid of it he said "you can't,.. you'll have to live with it" .... I was just gob smacked!

He said the first attack was usually the most severe and that if I kept clean and healthy should be fine. Occasionally it did return but no illness only the odd spot as though a mozzie had nibbled on my pecker during the night.

I did a lot of reading about it and discovered that the danger period for transmission is if you have sores that have broken skin. That is very rare for me. Another side effect because the virus (that apparently never leaves you as it is some kind of parasite) mainly resides in your anal area means that I get an itchy anus from time to time but nothing that a good old hefty scratch won't fix ;-)

.

I used to take Zovirax tablets and cream (cheap here in Thailand) but haven't for years and I hardly notice any issues at all whereas when I first got it and the doctor told me...I felt like I'd been told I had cancer and that my life would ne'er be the same again but lo and behold its been freaking awesome and still ROCKS!

[mrfaroukh]

Here is the list of vaccination you need before travel to countries like Thailand, India, Philippines etc.

http://www.mdtravelhealth.com/destinations/asia/thailand.php

Also it is advisable to get HPV Vaccine for Genial Warts HPV, or I think it my be called also as Human Papailloma. May be there are two different things.

[mrfaroukh]

It's always good idea for travellers to visit a travel health clinic and get vaccinations before travelling our of your home country. Whether it's to Thailand, or anywhere else for that matter.

I recently spent four months in Thailand and Cambodia and Laos, not just in the cities… but in remote mountainous tribal villages also... and many months before I left, I arranged for vaccinations at our local Travel Health Clinic.

For protection against Hep-B, I had a series of three shots of Engerix-B… which is one of the longest lasting vaccines. It's considered to give life long immunity. 25 years + I also got Vivaxim and Havrix for Hep-A… and also get life long immunity against Hep-A. There is currently no vaccine for Hep-C . Vivaxim also is a Typhoid shot. But the Typhoid immunity is good for only two years from that shot. I even got vaccinated against rabies.

I'm not going to list all of the vaccinations here… There are many more vaccines I've had….. and I keep my vaccine records up to date.

Some people say I must be paranoid…. but so what ? I'm very sorry for the person that got the Hep-B…but as we can see from the original post…. it's better to be safe than sorry.

I also got series of vaccines and I am going to get them once again to be on the safe side. Can you please mention the complete list of vaccines that you got. I have a list but I am not sure if this all I need.

http://www.mdtravelhealth.com/destinations/asia/thailand.php

[Samuipie]

I have lived and played in Thailand for more than 10 years. I have NEVER gotten Hep. B. Seems you just lucked out. For the record it is Hep C that leads to liver cancer not Hep B.

Hep B is usually contracted from bad food or someone not washing their hands before handling the food. Exotic stuff like raw oysters or the Sum Tum with the raw crabs in it are asking for trouble like parasites --- worse than Hep B !

[GOLDBUGGY]

It takes 3 to 6 months to clear Hep B , you may have caught it from a carrier , people are Hep B from birth in Thailand and don't know they have the disease , you will only have serious liver problems if the strain goes chronic , which it doesn't normally , you'll be very tired for about 3 months and unable to work because you are a potential carrier ,

It takes time to get over this and there's no quick fix , just hang in there and have your blood tests when your doctor tells you ,

Good luck with the Chronic bit but i doubt you'll need it .

Dumb Question from a Layman!

If Hep B takes 3 to 6 months to clear, and you can't spread this after that, then how is it that someone born with the same Hep B can give it to you 20 to 30 years later?

[FBN]

I have lived and played in Thailand for more than 10 years. I have NEVER gotten Hep. B. Seems you just lucked out. For the record it is Hep C that leads to liver cancer not Hep B.

Hep B is usually contracted from bad food or someone not washing their hands before handling the food. Exotic stuff like raw oysters or the Sum Tum with the raw crabs in it are asking for trouble like parasites --- worse than Hep B !

Hep A is transmitted the fecal oral route ie food, water etc

Hep B ONLY through bodily fluid contact.

Hep B can lead to the development of cancer if it is Hep B with the delta antigen which causes an extremely aggressive form of Hep B with extensive liver cell damage that may be fatal or heals with the formation of cirrhosis which may be a precursor to cancer.

Please do basic research before posting..

[Catoni]

For mrfaroukh…(hope I spelled that correctly)

You were wondering about all the vaccinations I received before my four month trip to Cambodia, Thailand and Laos...

A couple of them are mixed… and cover more than one disease…. here they are:

Tetanus, Diphtheria and Polio: vaccine: TD Polio

Tetanus, Diphtheria and Pertussis: vaccine: Adacel

Shingles: Not for the trip… just a good idea at my age: vaccine: Zostavax

Influenza: I get my flu shot each year.

Pneumonia: vaccine: Pneumovax 23

Typhoid: vaccine: ViVAXIM (covers for both Typhoid and Hep A)

Hepatitis A: vaccine: ViVAXIM (same as above)

" " vaccine: HAVRIX

Hepatitis B: vaccine: Engerix-B series of three shots. First two are one month apart. Third shot more than six months later.

Meningitis: vaccine: Menomune

Yellow Fever: vaccine: YF-VAX

Cholera: vaccine: Oral vaccine…Dukoral….. bought over the counter and taken at home. Two dose series. Gives maybe 60% - 80% protection against Cholera. And if you do contract Cholera it will be a more mild case. Also gives 6 months protection against the more common forms of Traveler's Diarrhea caused by E.coli. Not everyone who takes it will be protected. But in my four months of travel, I never got sick. And I was in some very remote villages eating some questionable food etc. and eating lots of street food in cities like Chiang Mai ( Chiang Mai is one of my favourite cities).

Japanese Encephalitis: vaccine: IXIARO series of two shots. Taken one month apart.

Rabies: vaccine: IMOVAX series of three shots. First two seven days apart. Third shot one month later. This will not prevent you from getting rabies. But it gives you much more time to get to a hospital if you are a long distance away. It buys you much more time. If you have this vaccination then you need fewer shots when you get to the hospital.. and you will not need need Immune Globulin, which you WOULD need if you were not vaccinated ahead of time. Immune Globulin is sometimes very difficult to find in remote regions of the third world.

Malaria: There is no vaccine that I am aware of. Preventive measure… TEVA-DOXYCYLINE FLM-CTD 100mg one per day starting two days before you leave. And continuing for four weeks after you return. I took my chances and did not take them. Got bit a few times by mosquitos…. but didn't get anything. I found the mosquitos is south east Asia to be smaller and fewer than the ones we get in Canada during our summer months believe it or not.

You can also take something like ZITHROMAX 250mg tablets if you get really bad diarrhea. I had them with me, but never needed them.

Well….. mrfaroukh…. that is my list. There are probably a couple others I could have taken… but didn't. Never got sick…

These shots have varying times of effectiveness…. some good for a year or two… ten year….. twenty five years like the Hep shots…. you have to keep track and get them renewed when needed for travel. Some of course are good to get even if you don't travel… like the Tetanus vaccination shot. You need a booster every ten years..

I plan on going again in a year or two. Perhaps this next time for much longer than four months. I might decide to stay and live there, maybe in Cambodia. I don't know yet. I certainly love Chiang Mai.. and the remote tribal villages like the Lisu villages in the mountains north west of Chiang Dao, toward Myamnar. But I would also like to see parts of the Philippines. I went to a Wat with some of my Thai friends and received sacred Sak Yant tattoos with Khem Sak… done by a Buddhist monk., with ceremony and blessings. Returned and had more done.. nine altogether. They tell me that I am now Thai in heart and spirit wherever I am in the world. They are great wonderful people… I really made some wonderful friends… and learned a lot.

Take care and enjoy your travels… - Catoni

Edited January 22, 2014 by Catoni

[Sheryl]

Malaria prophylaxis is not in Thailand or Cambodia indicated unless you are going to be out at night in remote jungle.

And there is no yellow fever in this part of the world.

[tookwan cottage]

If you did not have unprotected sex with your partner, then either blood was exchanged during sex (where there was an open wound on BOTH partners' bodies), or you shared a syringe during a drug-taking session. The latter is often more likely, as people are scared to ask for syringes at pharmacies and there are no needle & syringe programs in Thailand yet, so they share equipment (esp. if the other person seems "clean"). BTW, pharmacy staff have been trained in this area of public health and should always be consulted for such matters.

Of course, you may have contracted hep B prior to traveling to Thailand in your native country.

[lucifer666]

I contracted Hep C Type 3 many years ago from a transfusion, and they eventually gave me a course of Interferon Alpha and Ribovirin ( looked like a diabetic pen). 6 months later i was clear. The treatment made me feel like sh1t though, i couldn't hardly even shower myself, i felt so weak. This was many years ago, (80,s) and the treatment was experimental at that time, I'm sure now that, it's far more advanced. Good luck.

[Sheryl]

If you did not have unprotected sex with your partner, then either blood was exchanged during sex (where there was an open wound on BOTH partners' bodies), or you shared a syringe during a drug-taking session. The latter is often more likely, as people are scared to ask for syringes at pharmacies and there are no needle & syringe programs in Thailand yet, so they share equipment (esp. if the other person seems "clean"). BTW, pharmacy staff have been trained in this area of public health and should always be consulted for such matters.

Of course, you may have contracted hep B prior to traveling to Thailand in your native country.

Blood does not have to be exchanged. Contact with any body fluids (including vaginal secretions) can do it if there are tiny abrasions on the skin where you come into contact.

Hep B is far more easily transmitted than HIV.

Condom use definitely reduces risk but does not totally eliminate it.

Fortunately there is an effective vaccine.

[tookwan cottage]

If you did not have unprotected sex with your partner, then either blood was exchanged during sex (where there was an open wound on BOTH partners' bodies), or you shared a syringe during a drug-taking session. The latter is often more likely, as people are scared to ask for syringes at pharmacies and there are no needle & syringe programs in Thailand yet, so they share equipment (esp. if the other person seems "clean"). BTW, pharmacy staff have been trained in this area of public health and should always be consulted for such matters.

Of course, you may have contracted hep B prior to traveling to Thailand in your native country.

Blood does not have to be exchanged. Contact with any body fluids (including vaginal secretions) can do it if there are tiny abrasions on the skin where you come into contact.

Hep B is far more easily transmitted than HIV.

Condom use definitely reduces risk but does not totally eliminate it.

Fortunately there is an effective vaccine.

Fair point about the sexual fluids Sheryl and I apologize for my remiss response. Two other points also worth considering are that the amount of viral load is also a factor, so the variables are numerous, and the vaccine is not effective for every single person who receives it, so make sure you are not in that vaccine-resistant minority.

[Travelman868]

Most likely you were infected by your partner. This can happen even with condom use. Quite a number of Thai people are Hep B carriers without being ill themselves or knowing it. Thai children are now vaccinated for it but as this is fairly recent, there are still a large number of carriers in the adult population.

This is why Hep B vaccination is recommended for anyone coming to this part of the world.

Liver cancer risk is associated only with chronic Hep B infection, not acute. Only a minority of people with Hep B develop the chronic form. And, proper treatment of chronic Hep B can reduce the risk of cancer by about half.

Thanks. I dont have the chronic hep b. Its good to know I won't get liver Cancer.

Once I'm healthy again, and producing antbodies, Could I infect someone else?

While I understand your concerns it seems to me that you should ask questions of your doctor rather than on this

forum.

[newbie0001]

Hep B can only be transmitted by bodily fluids. Sexual, blood contact such as needle sticks or through sharing needles in drug users. (NOT implying you did!) The carrier may not be symptomatic and not even necessarily have a history of having had Hep B as it can sometimes run its course without jaundice or fever; blood tests will confirm carrier status.

Hep A by contaminated food usually. (Fecal/oral route of transmission). Much more common in Thailand.

Liver cancer will only develop in people who have contracted the most severe form of the disease, causing severe liver damage with subsequent cirrhosis which is in 10% of all cases and only 10% of those will proceed to liver cancer.

Your blood results would have indicated that at this time. It is important to ensure that you developed full immunity which will show in blood tests about 3 months or so from having had the disease.

Recent studies over the last 6-7 years have revised the theory on possible infection points. Now it is generally agreed that bodily fluid such as saliva (kissing) and also incidents such as using other people's toothbrush or razor may also be the routes of transmission. The old view is that Hept B was transmitted through sexual contact and blood exchange/contact only.

[tookwan cottage]

Hep B can only be transmitted by bodily fluids. Sexual, blood contact such as needle sticks or through sharing needles in drug users. (NOT implying you did!) The carrier may not be symptomatic and not even necessarily have a history of having had Hep B as it can sometimes run its course without jaundice or fever; blood tests will confirm carrier status.

Hep A by contaminated food usually. (Fecal/oral route of transmission). Much more common in Thailand.

Liver cancer will only develop in people who have contracted the most severe form of the disease, causing severe liver damage with subsequent cirrhosis which is in 10% of all cases and only 10% of those will proceed to liver cancer.

Your blood results would have indicated that at this time. It is important to ensure that you developed full immunity which will show in blood tests about 3 months or so from having had the disease.

Recent studies over the last 6-7 years have revised the theory on possible infection points. Now it is generally agreed that bodily fluid such as saliva (kissing) and also incidents such as using other people's toothbrush or razor may also be the routes of transmission. The old view is that Hept B was transmitted through sexual contact and blood exchange/contact only.

You need to include links to the relevant studies, as I encountered research around 5 years ago that was undertaken in the US, involving children; however, at the time, the results were not compelling enough to lead peak bodies to warn the public about the risk of hep B transmission by saliva.

Edited April 3, 2014 by tookwan cottage

[Sheryl]

There is a lot of data showing that children acquire it without having had transfusions or sexual contact and it appears that transmission is child to child (e.g. outbreaks in daycare centers). The exact mechanism through which this occurs is subject to speculation.

The virus is present in saliva but in low concentrations, no reports of transmission through for example kissing among adults.

The virus is also often present in urine. As child-child transmission seems to occur mostly among very young children, it could be that contact with urine (perhaps on a scratch or open wound) or bites from an infected child play a role -- behaviors that would not be common past a young age.