Hepatitis B Case Study

1386 Words3 Pages

The purpose of epidemiology is to better understand the burden and causes of health issues in humans. This helps decrease the risk of disease and improve health. Infectious diseases are caused by micro-organisms, transmitted to humans by humans, animals, or environment. Infectious disease usually follow a recognizable pattern. In this paper Hepatitis B also known as serum hepatitis will be discussed. Hepatitis B is a viral infection that can cause acute or chronic disease. Hepatitis B is a communicable disease. This paper will describe Hepatitis B, the demographic of interest, the determinants of health, the epidemiologic triangle, environmental factors, the role of community health nurse, and a national agency that addresses Hepatitis B. The Communicable Disease, Hepatitis B Cause Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) is a virus that leads to infection of the liver. Infection of the HBV can be acute or lifelong (chronic). Humans are the only known host for HBV (CSC, 2017). This virus can survive on environmental surfaces for up to seven days (WHO, 2017). Symptoms In acute hepatitis one would see clinical symptoms more in adults than infants or children. Approximately fifty percent adults will not show any symptoms (CDC, 2017). Some clinical symptoms are nonspecific malaise, …show more content…

There is 1.4 million people infected with CHB in United States (CDC, 2017). Even though the incidence of CHB has decreased in the U.S. two ethnic groups with highest prevalence of CYB in U.S. are Asian with 1 in 12 Asian Americans have CHB, and 1in 10 African-born in U.S. has CHB (HepBMD, 2017). Approximately 90% of infants that get HBV becomes chronically infected and 1 out of 4 dies (CDC, 2017). A person with CHB is one hundred times more likely to develop liver cancer. An estimated 686,000 people die every year worldwide for complications of HBV 2,000 people in U.S. die yearly from HBV related liver

More about Hepatitis B Case Study

Open Document