(Taiwan English News/Comprehensive foreign reporting by Zhu Mingzhu) According to the new recommendations issued by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this Thursday (9th), regardless of whether there is a risk of infection or not, it is recommended that adults get type B at least once in their lives. Hepatitis tests. This is the first time the CDC has updated its guidelines on liver B screening since 2008.
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Hepatitis B and C are the leading causes of chronic liver disease for hundreds of millions of people worldwide, and are also the most common causes of cirrhosis, liver cancer and hepatitis-related deaths. Therefore, in order to eliminate liver diseases we must start with increasing the screening rate.
Hepatitis B is a global disease. Since the main route of infection is that the blood and body fluids infected by the hepatitis B virus enter the human body through the skin or mucous membranes, it can be divided into mother to mother transmission -to-child and horizontal infection. Therefore, in the past, CDC only recommended screening for high-risk groups, including people who inject drugs, pregnant women, and people infected with HIV.
But now this change is proving that it is no longer enough to appeal to high risk groups for screening. After all, active screening and timely treatment during the hepatitis stage can greatly reduce liver damage, and reduce the risk of hepatitis and death.
In addition, CDC has added three high-risk groups for hepatitis B, including prisoners, inmates in detention facilities (whether in custody or released from prison); those with a history of sexually transmitted infections or multiple sexual partners; and those with a history of hepatitis C infection from patients.
The CDC said they don’t overlook valuable screening opportunities because of misunderstanding or fear of being stigmatized Most liver diseases have no obvious symptoms, and people tend to delay seeking medical treatment due to lack of vigilance.
【Encyclopedia of Liver B】
In Taiwan, chronic liver disease, liver cirrhosis, and liver cancer are mainly caused by hepatitis B and C virus infection, but about two-thirds of carriers do not know they are carriers , and the liver has no nerves, so they often wait until Seek medical attention only at the end of the liver disease phase.
After being infected with hepatitis, the incubation period is about 3 months. Most people are asymptomatic, but a small number of people will have abdominal discomfort, loss of appetite, general weakness, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, jaundice (such as yellow skin and whites of eyes), tea-coloured urine , etc. situation. Chronic carriers often have no symptoms or just seem tired and fatigued easily.
The National Health Service started in August 2008 to provide adult preventive health care services for people born after 55 years of the Republic of China (inclusive) and 45 years and older, to receive one-time hepatitis B and C screening services. since June 1, 2018 Initially, people with Indigenous status between the ages of 40 and 60 can be combined with adult preventive healthcare services to receive lifetime hepatitis B and C screening services.
Those who do not meet the qualifications for adult preventive health care checks and have not yet had hepatitis B and C screening can use the adult preventive health care services provided by the National Health Service (every 3 years on for 40-60 years old, and once a year for those over 65 years old 1 time), carry out liver function checks “GPT, GOT and other items”, and those with abnormal liver function can receive the viral hepatitis test necessary, follow-up and treatment according to the advice doctor, in order to avoid becoming chronic liver disease and cirrhosis.
Two-thirds are hepatitis B carriers unaware that the US CDC has added 3 high-risk groups, calling for adults to be screened
