Two days ago, World Hepatitis Day was celebrated, disease known as 'silent epidemic', which can permanently damage the liver.
With this celebration, WHO and its partners want to increase awareness and understanding of viral hepatitis, and the diseases it causes. A priori it seems that we are talking about a disease of adults, and yet children can also have it in any of its variants, because the ways of acquiring it range from the spread of a baby during birth (because his mother is a carrier), to transmission through contaminated food (in the case of hepatitis A), through exposure to instruments that are not conveniently disinfected (for example during a tattoo).
Hepatitis A, B, C, D and E viruses can cause serious and chronic liver infection and inflammation, which in turn can lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer. These viruses represent a major global health risk, reflected in the 240 million people who suffer from chronic infection with the hepatitis B virus, and about 150 million with hepatitis C
Many viruses are slightly different from each other, but they have one thing in common, the resulting infection and inflammation are harmful to liver cells.
A very high burden of disease worldwide
And among the factors that prevent integral action is the fact that most people do not develop any symptoms when they get the infection, and usually do not have them for decades, until they develop chronic liver disease. Together, these factors have caused the “silent epidemic” that we experience today.
In addition, viral hepatitis involves a heavy burden for health systems, due to the high costs involved in the treatment of liver cancer and liver failure due to cirrhosis.
How to identify the disease?
Although the diagnosis corresponds to a doctor, as we read in Kids Health, people infected by any of the hepatitis viruses can have the following symptoms:
Unexplained tiredness
Flu symptoms - vomiting, fever, etc.
Yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes
Belly pain (in the upper right side of the abdomen)
Dark brown urine
Light colored stools
Itching in the absence of rash
Lack of appetite for several days in a row and / or weight loss.
Upon suspicion it is likely that the professional will perform an analysis and try to find out the origin of the pathology, before proposing treatment.
Among the measures proposed by WHO, it is to increase vaccine coverage against hepatitis B and incorporate the vaccine into national immunization programs
I think that body care and health is an important part of the learning that children receive from their parents, in this case it is very important normalize habits such as hand hygiene or food.
The liver is a very complex organ that cleanses, stores vitamins to dose them, helps the muscles, provides glucose, etc. He is tireless and works even when we sleep. The least we can do for him is to meet him and then take care of him... and transmit this to our children.
