Dr. Jide Owolana, the Chief Medical Director of Living Standards Hospital, Benin, says hepatitis B can lead to other complications in the human body if left untreated.
Owolana said this in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria on Tuesday in Benin.
Hepatitis B infection is caused by the Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) and the virus is passed from person to person through blood, semen or other body fluids.
He said that hepatitis B is an infection of the liver, “which can cause scarring of the organ, liver failure, and cancer.
Owolana said that the disease can be spread when people come in contact blood, open sores or body fluids of infected persons.
“Most cases of the disease do not last for a long time. Your body fights it off within a few months and you are immune for the rest of your life.
“That means you cannot get infected again in your lifetime,’’ he said.
He said that only five to ten percent of adults and children older than five years, who suffered from Hepatitis B, ended up with chronic infection.
Owolana said that 25 to 50 percent of infants who were under the age of five years were infected with Hepatitis B, while 90 percent of infants infected at birth suffered from the disease
He said that the symptoms of Hepatitis B included jaundice, light-colored faeces, fever and fatigue which could persist for weeks or months.
He said that other symptoms of the disease were stomach upset, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, and stomach ache.
Owolana, however, said that the symptoms might not manifest until one to six months after contracting the virus.
He, therefore, warned people against unhealthy living, unprotected sex and exposure to blood.