by Jacki Chen
(VFV was introduced to Jacki by the National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable, and we’re grateful for their help.)
When I was around 30, my sister called, saying that our brother had been diagnosed with liver cirrhosis and liver cancer. The doctors were worried about him, but he was actively getting treatment. They then found out that his problems were due to a chronic hepatitis B infection.
That raised awareness among my siblings. They got tested and were all positive, so I got tested as well.
I was shocked not only because I was positive, but also because I had elevated liver enzymes and felt no symptoms. I followed up with further testing and discovered that I was already suffering severe liver fibrosis. My liver had been fighting with the virus, and I just didn’t feel anything.
Through treatment, I was able to stabilize my condition, but still have severe fibrosis today. It was luck that kept me from developing cirrhosis before I was diagnosed. My fibrosis puts me at high risk for future health problems, not just from the virus. My brother is even more at risk because he already has liver cirrhosis.
The Harm Hep B Can Do
No cure can get rid of the hepatitis B virus and it persists in the nucleus of liver cells.
Over time it causes mutations and may eventually cause cancer. But the virus also slowly damages your liver, over decades. And if you go on to develop liver disease, then your chance of getting cancer goes even higher. There’s a possibility that I could get it, and I’m hoping that there’s a cure someday to further reduce my risk.
If you don’t suppress the virus with antiviral medications, it can cause acute hepatitis that taxes your immune system. Like if you have some other illness, or have to take immunosuppressive drugs, then the virus can explode quickly and potentially cause liver failure. I run a patient support group and see many cases like that, mostly because people are not aware of the seriousness of the infection.
You Can Prevent This For Your Child
There is a highly effective vaccine that can prevent all of this. It has extremely minimal risks, if any. And it prevents more than 90% of cases. If a child gets the disease, it’s almost guaranteed that he or she will carry the virus for the rest of their life.
Is that worth it? I think it’s a mistake to put your child at risk, even if you are careful. No one can guarantee that your kid won’t ever be in contact with the virus.
In my home country of Taiwan, around 1 in 10 people are chronically infected with hepatitis B. But since we started a universal vaccination program for all newborns and young adults, the prevalence has dropped to less than 1%. So, it’s already proven to work.
The Hep B vaccine is the only vaccine that can prevent liver cancer. So if you get your kid vaccinated, you can prevent or at least lower their risk of liver cancer substantially.
Jacki Chen, PhD is a hepatitis B patient and patient advocate, a molecular bioscientist, and a senior educator for medical school and graduate school. He lives in Princeton, New Jersey with his wife and a 12-year-old son. He can be reached through his nonprofit organization “Taiwan Hepatitis Information & Care Association” at [email protected].
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