Benchmark Assignment: Epidemiology Paper Grand Canyon University Concepts in Community and Public Health NRS-427

BENCHMARK ASSIGNMENT: EPIDEMIOLOGY PAPER 2 Epidemiology Paper on Hepatitis Hepatitis is a medical term referring to the inflammation of the liver, it gets caused by different viruses including hepatitis E, D, C, B, and A. The main characteristic feature of hepatitis is the development of jaundice; the diagnosis is therefore made through testing of the anti-viral antibodies or antigens in the sera. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is the most prevalent of the hepatitis viruses globally and it is responsible for most of the liver infections. It causes permanent liver damage. According to WHO hepatitis, B is “a potentially life-threatening liver disease” (World Health Organization, 2015). Mode of transmission Hepatitis is transmitted by various means depending on the type of the virus. Hepatitis B virus is the most common and gets transmitted through sexual intercourse where one gets exposed to blood, semen, and other body fluids. It can also get transmitted during delivery. Injections or transfusion with contaminated blood also leads to infection. Hepatitis A is present in stool and may get transmitted through consumption of contaminated water or food. Hepatitis C, on the other hand, is spread through exposure to ineffective blood either through blood. Hepatitis D occurs as a dual infection with HBV while Hepatitis E gets transmitted through consumption of contaminated food and water. Complications Most people with hepatitis B may not present with obvious signs and symptoms; some may appear perfectly healthy and still have the virus. Mild symptoms include tiredness, fever, nausea and vomiting, and pain in the upper right quadrant of the abdomen. In chronic state and individual presents with jaundice due to liver damage, the bilirubin levels become elevated. The Alanine Transaminase (ALT) over IU/L standard range is less than 100IU, the Aspartate Transaminases also become elevated (AST). Diagnosis One’s a person becomes infected with the hepatitis virus it takes one month for the symptoms to present. The actual diagnosis gets confirmed by a positive Immunoglobulin M and This study source was downloaded by from CourseH on 11-02-2022 15:03:13 GMT -05:00 BENCHMARK ASSIGNMENT: EPIDEMIOLOGY PAPER 3 the presence of hepatitis B surface antigens (HbsAg) in the blood. The serology changes in a span of six months, the patient presents with signs of cleared HbsAg’s and develops antiHepatitis B surface (anti-HBs) which are signs of a depleting infection. Patients with presence of HbaAg’s develop chronic hepatitis and need further evaluation. Complications Close to ten percent of those injected with hepatitis B virus develop lifelong complications. Out of this one-third may develop liver cancer, scarring of the liver (cirrhosis) and liver failure. Demographics and Prevalence The world health organization indicates that hepatitis infections are more prevalent that HIV, a virus causing AIDS. An estimated population of 1.2 Americans has HBV infection. This condition poses a risk for the development of liver cancer and cirrhosis if left untreated. The situation requires close monitoring by the health department for efficient management. There is a high prevalence of hepatitis in sub-Saharan Africa, East Asia and in South America. An estimated two hundred and forty million people have hepatitis B virus with over half a million deaths every year (UpToDate, 2014). Hepatitis B and C are common in the United States and the Asian population. Estimates show that close to 800,000 people in the Asian Pacific Americana have chronic hepatitis B (UpToDate, 2014). Incidence Research from the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2013 suggests that the incidence rate of hepatitis B virus is over three thousand cases in the United States. The estimates that one individual in every hundred thousand individuals has hepatitis B virus is the highest incidence since 1990 despite the decline over the past two decades. The preventive