"SILENT KILLER"

Azerbaijan's Ministry of Health has begun to distribute social advertisements urging people to beware of contracting hepatitis A, B, C, D and E. This is currently quite justified, since unhealthy developments in this area have been observed recently in Azerbaijan. In particular, Azerbaijani experts argue that hepatitis C has become much "younger", previously it was contracted mainly by people over 50 years old. Now there are people from the age of 18 among those infected by hepatitis C, which indicates a dangerous trend, despite the fact that, compared with other countries, Azerbaijan is not classed as being seriously affected by hepatitis viruses. Nevertheless, the Ministry of Health believes that citizens should have more information on how the hepatitis B virus is contracted and should observe all necessary precautions.

Timely diagnosis

Hepatitis specialist and head of the Ministry of Health press service, Anar Qadirli, said in an interview with R+ that no-one is immune to the hepatitis B and C viruses. The danger of the disease is that in most cases it develops latently, without symptoms, becoming chronic in the long-term. It is not without reason that doctors call this disease a "silent killer" - the virus may not manifest itself for years and when the patient seeks help, it is already too late. Typically, the virus manifests itself from 9-21 weeks after contact with an infected person. The most frequent symptoms are fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, pain in the upper abdomen, weight loss, yellow skin or eyes, dark urine, pain in the joints and discoloration of faeces. But this does not always happen. Hepatitis C can be a major cause of cirrhosis and liver cancer. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), every 33rd inhabitant of our planet will find out one day that he is infected with hepatitis C. It is known that, currently, nearly 800 million people are carriers of the two most threatening types of hepatitis - B and C, while over 2 billion have suffered acute hepatitis in one form or another. Azerbaijan is using the immunoassay method of detecting the virus - it is modern, but not the most sensitive method. "Experience of this method suggests that 95 per cent of infected blood samples are registered and the risk is 5 per cent. But this figure is the case not only in Azerbaijan but throughout the world," says Qadirli.

To prevent the disease at an early stage, experts advise absolutely everyone, including those who are not accustomed to taking care of their health, to undergo medical examinations at least once every six months. In particular, this should be done by people who are in the so-called high risk group - those who inject drugs and have sex with multiple partners or with one infected person. In addition, people who regularly use the services of beauty, body piercing and tattoo salons and who visit hairdressers should undergo a medical examination. Further, people who have had a blood transfusion should do the same. As for various beauty salons and other services, they are breeding grounds for certain types of hepatitis, because they do not the respect basic rules of sanitation for manicure, pedicure, body piercing etc. Anar Qadirli said that at least 95 per cent of patients have contracted hepatitis C while visiting a dentist.

Do not fall victim to beauty

"The probability of people contracting hepatitis viruses due to the violation of sanitary-epidemiological norms in medical institutions in Azerbaijan is also high. That is why all the above institutions are regularly monitored for compliance with standards. The main objective is to control the compulsory sterilization of medical instruments and syringes," says A. Qadirli. However, it is almost impossible to identify the source of hepatitis infection. As mentioned above, hepatitis C makes itself known over a fairly long time - during these months an infected person may have visited a dentist and a beauty salon. Therefore, it is very difficult to identify where the patient "caught" the hepatitis virus. "Negligence or failure to comply with sanitary regulations in private clinics and in beauty, body piercing and tattoo salons can lead to suspension or revocation of their licences, while the directors of state medical institutions are suspended for neglecting sanitary norms. Criminal liability is possible only if negligence by the staff results in proven human infection," said our interviewee.

According to a head of department at the National Centre for Hygiene and Epidemiology (CHE), Ziyaddin Kazimov, in 2008 alone the heads of 1,176 various beauty salons were brought to account for failure to comply with hygiene standards. The CHE scrutinizes absolutely all beauty salons in the country because of the increased risk of various infections, including HIV. "These institutions should have all the necessary means of sterilizing instruments. If there are no such instruments at these institutions, they do not have the right to operate. Yes, beauty demands sacrifice. But people who provide services in this field should approach their work responsibly, understanding that women and men should not fall victim to their desire to look beautiful," stressed Kazimov. For clients of these institutions not only to become beautiful, but also to remain healthy, you need to ensure stricter control over the disinfection and sterilization of instruments with special sterilizers. "To begin with, institutions that ignore the rules of hygiene will receive a stern warning and if this does not have the desired effect, they are fined from 100 to 200 manats. Further neglect of sanitary norms entails imprisonment."

What if you get infected

What should you do if you contract hepatitis? According to Qadirli, we must remember that this is not a death sentence and if you receive proper treatment twice a year, completely give up alcohol and keep to a diet, you can live to be 100 with a hepatitis virus. "We must be prepared for the fact that this disease can lead to the isolation of an infected person, so it is very important to have the support of relatives and friends. I want to emphasize that the carriers of these viruses should not be isolated from their family. There is no need to create special conditions for them at school and work or to take care of them. The patient does not need to abandon the habits that make him happy." But, the expert advised, it is necessary to find a good doctor who will carry out regular examinations and treat the patient. And the patient is simply obliged to dutifully carry out all his advice, because their goal is to protect his health. At the same time, the expert is convinced that every patient requires an individual approach to treatment, because a mild form of the disease, for example, does not require the use of potent drugs such as interferon. Complex treatments are used in treating hepatitis C, and the genotype of the virus and the state of the liver are taken into account. In this way, the type of treatment, its efficacy and safety are identified. Do not engage in self-treatment or overlook a threatening development in the infection. In some cases people can protect themselves from contracting hepatitis wherever possible - for example, they can go to beauty salons with their own tools. If you need a blood transfusion, or tests and vaccinations in health centres, you should clarify their methods of sterilizing instruments, whether this procedure has been performed at all, and ask dentists to sterilize their instruments thoroughly. You should also ensure that the single-use syringe from which the injection is given is unpacked in the presence of the patient. The most effective way of preventing hepatitis is vaccination; however, at present the possibility of vaccination is limited to the prevention of hepatitis B. Unfortunately, there is still no vaccine against hepatitis C and today one of the most important tasks in the development of world health is to develop a vaccine, concluded Qadirli.