Hepatitis B was previously known as serum hepatitis simply because it is spread through serum or infected blood through such procedures such as blood transfusion, child birth, and needle injection. It can also be spread through sexual encounters with infected partners or from mother to child.
The hepatitis B vaccine is a preventive measure taken by those who fear being at risk of contracting the disease. For those travelling to high-risk areas, this is usually one of the travel vaccines recommended by most travel clinics in Laval.
In the event of an infection, with or without the vaccine, most adults will be able to clear the virus from their systems, after which they will become immune to it. If they fail to remove the virus from their system, chances are that it could become chronic, leading to the inflammation of the liver.
For children, however, it is estimated that up to 50% of infants infected at birth usually end up with chronic hepatitis B. The chronic infections may be mild or they may be severe enough to cause extensive damage to the liver.
Through the hepatitis B vaccination, the number of infections had been reduced by up to 75%, though it still remains a real threat, especially for people travelling to or from places considered as high-risk areas.
The vaccines are safe and extremely effective, and once administered, they stimulate the body to produce corresponding antigens, which will fight the virus in case of an actual attack. Those who are at high risk of infection, and which ought to be up to date with the vaccine include: health workers, men who have sex with men, dentists, dialysis patients, people suffering from chronic liver diseases, persons living with HIV/AIDS, and injection drug users.