Newspaper Page Text
B2 April 4. 1994
The Panther
Blacks More Likely To Contract
Deadly Hepatitis B Virus
By Chandra R. Thomas
Features Editor
Black college students are more
likely to be carriers of the potentially
deadly hepatitis B virus.
Hepatitis B, a disease that kills more
than 6,000 Americans a year, is on the
rise. College students, are considered
to be at high risk of contracting the dis
ease because they are likely to have
more sexual partners, a report by the
American College Health Association
said.
Although, no statistics are available
specifically reporting the incidence of
the disease among black college stu
dents, officials at the Centers for
Disease Control said the black commu
nity is at an even higher risk of con
tracting the disease. According to Gary
Schatz, an epidemiologist with the
CDC hepatitis branch, blacks are 5 to
10 percent more likely than whites to
be carriers of the virus. “If you take a
cross section of the U.S. population
one half of 1 percent are hepatitis B
carriers. If you take a cross section of
the black population, 2.5 percent to 5
percent are carriers,” said Schatz.
He contends that other socioeco
nomic conditions, including increased
drug use and sexual activity contribute
to the high percentages.
Ethnic Factors
According to statistics provided by
the CDC, cases among blacks were
higher in 1988 than in the preceding
four years. Among blacks, hepatitis B
is the predominant type of hepatitis,
accounting for 66 percent of all cases.
Data from a large population-based
study confirm that the prevalence of
hepatitis B infection is more than four
times higher among blacks than among
whites. Among whites, hepatitis B
accounts for 33 percent of cases.
According to an article in last June’s
issue of The Chronicle of Higher
Education, the health association rec
ommended that all college students be
vaccinated against the deadly disease.
The recommendation came as the
number of hepatitis B cases increased
nationwide with 240,000 new cases
reported in 1991. Health officials said
young people age 15 to 25 are the
fastest-growing segment of the popula
tion with hepatitis B. The association
reported that the number of young
adults contracting the disease today is
77 percent higher than a decade ago.
Hepatitis is a viral inflammation of
the liver that is passed through the
blood or semen of an infected person
most often, through sex and intra
venous drug use.
However, it is not one disease, but is
a group of five different viruses, named
hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E. All have
similar symptoms, including nausea,
fever, and jaundice, that vary in their
degree of seriousness.
Many people are unaware that they
carry the disease because initially they
experience no symptoms or are misdi
agnosed, depending on the viral strain.
These symptoms appear anywhere
from a few weeks to as many as six
months after a person is infected.
But cases of hepatitis B stemming
from drug use and sexual activity are
soaring, up nearly 40 percent in the last
decade. Over a third of patients have
no idea how they got the infection.
Experts think many of these cases
may be caused by sexual contact with a
silent carrier who doesn’t know he or
she has the disease. The carrier could
even be an unfaithful spouse who
unknowingly passed it to his or her
partner. Doctors are especially worried
about sexually active teenagers, who
may not even be aware of the risk.
Most people recover from any type
of hepatitis in four to eight weeks from
the time they are diagnosed and treated.
But a small number never recover.
These so-called chronic carriers
Carriers of the Virus
• Hepatitis B kills more than 6,000 Americans every
year.
•Among Blacks, hepatitis B accounts for 66% of all
cases.
•Among whites, hepatitis B accounts for 33% of all
cases.
•According to an article in The Chronicle of Higher
Education, the health association recommended that
all college students be vaccinated against the
deadly diseased.
•Young people, ages 15 to 25, are the fastest growing
segment of the population with hepatitis B.
develop an incurable inflammation of
the liver. About half of them continue
to have symptoms; the other half
become silent carriers. Fifteen to 25
years later, many of these people will
develop a liver
disease so severe their only hope for
survival may be a liver transplant.
While there are no currently
approved treatments, an injection of
immune globulin B within a week of
exposure lessens the severity of symp
toms.
According to a 1990 study conduct
ed by the CDC, drug use and contact
with another hepatitis B patient were
the two most frequently reported poten
tial sources of infection for hepatitis B
patients in 1988. Homosexual activity
was reported by only 7 percent of
patients. As with other types of hepati
tis, several possible sources of infec
tion were often reported for the same
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hepatitis B patient.
Vaccination
Hepatitis-B resembles AIDS in many ways.
The virus which causes it may sit dormant in
someone for years before any
symptoms appear. But when it is present in much
higher concentrations in the bloodstream, it is
much more infectious. It is transmitted in semen
and blood. However, unlike AIDS there is a vac
cine.
An effective vaccine against hepatitis B has
been available since 1981.
According to Schatz of the CDC, immunization
efforts have been primarily geared towards preg
nant women and newborns. If the virus is detect
ed, the baby is given a shot of immune globin
along with the hepatitis B vaccine, reducing the
chance of infection from 90 to 5 percent.
Schatz said more emphasis should be placed
upon immunizing school-age children, “We think
it’s more important for fifth and sixth graders. It’s
best to immunize them before they get into poten
tial risk groups, like drug use and sexual activity.”
He said although he encourages college stu
dents to get vaccinated, many times it may be too
late for the age group. “By college-age most
young adults are already considered at a high-risk
of contracting hepatitis. They may engage in sex
ual activity and drug use. A lot of college students
may have it already and may be
spreading it to others.”
Keeping that in mind, the CDC and Public
Health Service now recommend that all children
be vaccinated against the virus at birth, six months
and one year. When additional federal funds
become available for public immunization pro
grams, officials said they will consider recom
mending laws requiring all youngsters to be vacci
nated before enrolling in school.
Cost
The cost of the vaccine may be an obstacle.
The vaccination must be given in three doses at an
average total cost of $130. Many health insurance
plans do not cover vaccinations.
“Universities may recommend that students
receive the hepatitis B vaccination, but it may be a
long time before they require it,” said W. David
Bums, assistant vice-president for student life pol
icy and services at Rutgers University, in The
Chronicle of Higher Education. “The universities
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