Chiu news client, reporter, young-si
Hepatitis b, one of the most serious infectious diseases in the world, is known as the “silent killer”. It not only leads to acute chronic hepatitis, but also to cirrhosis and even liver cancer in silence. The data show that there are about 75 million persons infected with chronic hepatitis b virus (hbv) in the 1-69 age group, 77 per cent and 84 per cent of persons with hepatitis cirrhosis and liver cancer, respectively, and that the burden of disease is high。
Hepatitis b vaccination is the most effective method of preventing hepatitis b virus infection, but how to achieve health protection from the health line for children to the full life cycle and complete the entire population is now a top priority for hepatitis b prevention。
On the occasion of the sixty-first children's day, a round table on “hepatitis b, new march for action”, organized by tweet news chanjiang, took place in hangzhou. The conference brought together leading experts in the areas of public health, infection, paediatrics and community health to answer questions about the mass interest in hepatitis b prevention。
Break the once and for all error zone
Hepatitis b control is a mandatory course throughout the life cycle
“hepatitis b vaccine at birth can be administered once and for all” is a currently prevalent area of cognitive error. This perception often leads to inadequate antibody protection for adolescents and adults due to neglect of replanting。
“i've met a lot of hepatitis b patients at the clinic, and many people have checked it out as early as cirrhosis or even liver cancer. Indeed, early action can avert these tragedies.” the chief and chief physician of the infection section of the zhejiang people's hospital, pan hongying, said: “many people feel that hepatitis b has nothing to do with themselves, especially if the medical examination has not been initiated, let alone if they want to refill the vaccine. What i'm trying to say is that when parents know to give their children the first shot, adults have to take care of themselves, for example, by taking a blood sample of "hepatitis b" and vaccinate them with hepatitis b as required. This is not just for yourself, but for the rest of the family.”
Pan hongying, director, infection section, zhejiang people's hospital
0-6 months is a very important stage in the prevention of hepatitis b for newborns. As infant and child immunization systems are not fully developed, liver defence capacity is weak. Once the hepatitis b virus is exposed in early childhood, it can easily develop into chronic infection for life. Of these, 90 per cent of infants under one year of age are at risk of developing into chronic hepatitis b infection and even cirrhosis and liver cancer in the future. Therefore, the timely regulation of vaccination against hepatitis b after the birth of the newborn child is both a key to disrupting the mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis b virus and a cornerstone of immunization throughout the life cycle。
“the effect of protection after the vaccination of the early childhood hepatitis b is that the persistence of the antibody may be related to vaccination procedures, doses, vaccine types and population characteristics.” the deputy director of paediatrics and deputy medical officer at the zhejiang provincial hospital stated that hepatitis b surface antibody level was a core indicator of the effectiveness of vaccination against hepatitis b and a key basis for replanting or strengthening the vaccination. In clinical terms, anti-hbs≥10 miu/ml is considered to have protective immunity, indicating that the individual is immune to hepatitis b virus. In general, protection antibodies are produced by the majority of the population after a full course of vaccination against hepatitis b, and the higher the level of antibodies generated by the initial vaccination, the longer protection is usually sustained. However, antibody levels are likely to decline slowly over time, but some people may still be able to maintain a degree of protection because of the memory of cell immunisation。
Deputy director of paediatrics, zhejiang province
In addition, for pre-school and school-age children between 3 and 7 years of age who are about to enter collective life, the risk of transmission of hepatitis b virus levels is likely to increase as a result of intensive human contact, frequent sharing of goods and low self-protection awareness. The screening of children for hepatitis b virus contributes to early detection and treatment of the disease and can be used to guide follow-up treatment, vaccination and screening programmes. Regular hbv screening should be carried out for infants with close contact with family history of hepatitis b or hepatitis b patients, as well as for babies born to hiv-positive mothers。
All-round, all-people hepatitis b
Grass-roots communities reached “last kilometre” of vaccination
As social activities increase throughout society, healthy adults are still at risk of contracting hepatitis b virus as a result of sexual transmission, intravenous injection or exposure to blood from informal medical behaviour. Currently, the high prevalence of surface antigens among our adult hepatitis b is a key bottleneck to achieving the elimination of hepatitis b。
Basic community health centres play a vital role in reaching the “last kilometre” of basic vaccination. The deputy director of the community health services centre, located in the chendong district of hangzhou city, is of the view that the vaccination of hepatitis b, both as the first line of defence for the birth of a newborn child and as it extends to the writing building, the residential areas and the adult population。
The deputy director of the community health centre in the city of hangzhou, on the street of sand, in the chandong district
“hepatitis b vaccine is not just a patent for children. Many adults now have knowledge faulty areas and are unaware that vaccinations are not permanently effective, leaving out the relevant medical examinations and the channels for vaccination.” he called on society as a whole to break down the cognitive barriers and stressed that community health services at the grass-roots level were staffed by health personnel trained in specialized vaccinations, that vaccinations were carried out in strict compliance with the national immunization procedures and that easy and safe vaccination services were available to all groups. If adults who do not know their vaccination history, are not vaccinated or have not completed the full course of vaccination against hepatitis b, it is recommended to go to the community health service centres to conduct an anti-hepatitis b test and complete the immunization under the supervision of a professional medical practitioner。
More varied options are known to exist for vaccination against hepatitis b for different population groups. In selecting vaccines for newborns, parents can make choices on the basis of advice from doctors and their own needs, based on an understanding of the recommendations of the immunization programme, in order to obtain more sustained and comprehensive immunization protection for newborns。
Hepatitis b is extremely contagious and chronically difficult to cure, but under the guidance of china's plan of action to combat hepatitis virus (2025-2030), the whole society is working on a continuous basis around the goal of “medical coordination, integration and prevention”。
Everyone is their first duty in health. By actively testing the level of surface antibodies for hepatitis b, timely replanting of the hepatitis b vaccine, we are well placed to halt the risk of infection, reduce the incidence of cirrhosis and liver cancer, and achieve a real shift from “care-centred” to “health-centred”. It is important not only to consolidate the “first-born” threshold for newborns of 0-6 months, but also to extend it to the entire life cycle, to the entire population and to truly achieve more comprehensive health security。
