Hepatitis
...appetite. The average time from exposure to symptoms is 28 days and last for about 4 weeks. Once infected you are no longer a carrier and immune to the virus. The best way of prevention is the HAV vaccine recommended to all international travelers. Hepatitis B is 100 times more contagious that HIV and is spread through blood and other bodily fluids. The most common modes of transmission is through sexual contact, mom to fetus at birth, sharing of toothbrushes or razors, and needles especially by the sharing of needles by drug users. The symptoms are jaundice, nausea, fever, and loss of appetite. Hepatitis can either be acute or chronic, in the acute form the symptoms last for about 4 months and then disappear along with virus. The chronic form is found in 6 to 8 percent of those infected with hepatitis B. Most of whom don’t even show any signs or symptoms but are capable of passing the disease to others. The best form of prevention is the Hepatitis B vaccination but for those who have contracted the virus the only treatment is interferon or ribavirin. If these drugs are not effective 15 to 25 percent of chronically infected persons will die from chronic liver disease. About 11 to 14 people die a day from this virus. Each year there is about 200000 to 300000 who contract the disease every year. Hepatitis C is the most worrisome of the virus strains. Of the 3.9 million people currently infected 80% don’t even know they have it. And 2.7 million are chronic with the virus. Of the 2.7 million people 70% will develop chronic liver disease tha...