Hepatitis B
Vietnam has a high prevalence of hepatitis B; the birth dose given within 24 hours is the golden shield.
Transmission
Blood, unprotected sex, from mother to child at birth (90% risk of becoming chronic), sharing sharp instruments.
Symptoms
Mild fever, tiredness, loss of appetite, nausea, discomfort under the right ribs, yellow skin and eyes, dark urine, pale stools.
Complications
Chronic hepatitis, acute liver failure, end-stage cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
People at high risk
Babies born to mothers with HBV, health workers, people with multiple sexual partners, people on kidney dialysis.
Preventive vaccines
- Euvax B – Recombinant hepatitis B vaccine
- Gene-HBvax – Recombinant hepatitis B vaccine
- Heberbiovac HB – Recombinant hepatitis B vaccine
- Hepavax-Gene TF – Recombinant hepatitis B vaccine
- Hexaxim – 6-in-1 combination vaccine
- Infanrix hexa – 6-in-1 combination vaccine
- ComBE Five – 5-in-1 combination vaccine (whole-cell)
- DPT-VGB-Hib (SII) – 5-in-1 vaccine (DTwP-HepB-Hib)
- Twinrix – Combined hepatitis A and hepatitis B vaccine