Hepatitis A / B Screening 

Hepatitis A is a liver disease caused by the Hepatitis A Virus.

Transmission: It is transmitted through fecal-oral route. Food contaminated with the virus is the most common vehicle transmitting hepatitis.

• Eating contaminated food without proper cooking, especially bivalve shellfish like oysters, clams, scallops and mussels, etc.
• Drinking contaminated water
• Close personal contact with infected person

 Effects: Affected persons may be asymptomatic. Those who have symptoms may have:

• mild fever
• tiredness
• muscle pain
• headache
• loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, upper abdominal pain
• jaundice (yellow discoloration of skin and eyes) and tea-coloured urine

Most patients have a complete recovery and Hepatitis A would rarely cause liver failure and death. Persons recovered from the infection develop lifelong immunity against the infection.

Hepatitis B is a disease caused by a virus that infects the liver. Half of all people with hepatitis B don’t know they have it because they don’t feel sick. But they can still pass the disease to others. Some will become carriers and have the virus in their blood and other body fluids for the rest of their lives. Those who become infected at a younger age are more likely to become carriers. 90% of infants infected before 1 year of age will be infected for life. Currently, around 8% of the population in Hong Kong who are carriers.

Transmission: Person to person through body fluids, such as blood, saliva, semen, and vaginal fluids, from a mother to her baby when she is pregnant or giving birth.

Effects: Fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, and yellow skin and eyes (jaundice). Carriers are at high risk for getting liver disease, liver failure, and even liver cancer. Many people will get better and become immune for life. Some will recover but remain as carriers who can pass the virus to other people. There is no cure for hepatitis B, but treatment can sometimes decrease the amount of virus in the blood and body secretions.

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