Hepatitis B

TIME.CO, Jakarta – Internal medicine specialist Hendra Nurjadin said it was a viral infection hepatitis B can be passed from mother to baby, especially during labor.

“So there may be a risk of the mother infecting the baby during pregnancy, especially during delivery,” he said in a discussion of the disease hepatitisMonday 19 December 2022.

Consultant gastroentero-hepatologist of Mayapada Hospital, Tangerang said mothers suffering from hepatitis B or C usually give birth by caesarean section to avoid injury during delivery. These two hepatitis viruses are transmitted through the patient’s blood so that during pregnancy the fetus is not infected because it is protected by the placenta and placenta which have filters.

“During childbirth, the birth process may not be maintained, it may be injured, so all mothers who have hepatitis B will be born by cesarean section. As soon as the baby is born, he will be given antiviral B, which is a ‘active immunization to which we deliver antibodies,’ he said.

Mothers suffering from hepatitis B or C are advised not to breastfeed their babies directly because they are afraid that lesions will occur during the breastfeeding process that can infect the baby. The pediatrician will ask the mother to pump breast milk and give it via a pacifier because the hepatitis virus does not enter the milk.

Use of personal tools
Furthermore, the transmission of hepatitis B and C through blood can also occur due to the use of personal tools that allow bleeding, such as shared razors and drug injections to illegal drug users.

“If the person is infected by blood, that includes injecting drugs or addicts and sharing needles, using tools that can cause bleeding, such as razors, and so on,” he explained.

He also said that risky behaviors such as getting tattoos in dirty places, ear piercings or improperly maintained sexual behaviors were also risk factors for transmitting hepatitis B and C through blood. Therefore, the use of personal tools that allow bleeding must be separate from each person.

“B and C come from the blood, a small percentage will develop further to make it chronic and can last for years and cause liver damage that will eventually lead to cirrhosis or complications leading to liver cancer,” he explained.

In addition to the hepatitis B and C viruses that are transmitted through blood, there is also hepatitis A and E viruses that can be transmitted through food. However, this infection can heal on its own without any treatment because the incubation of the virus lasts only 1-2 months in the body. However, he said hepatitis A could be more serious if the patient had previously experienced decreased liver or liver function due to alcohol consumption, so that liver damage could occur that the body could not compensate for.

Hendra explained the incubation period of the virus hepatitis AB, C, D and E for about four weeks with flu symptoms, fever, body aches, nausea and weakness and obvious signs such as yellowing of the skin and decreased liver function through laboratory tests.

Read also: Hepatitis B symptoms to watch out for early on