Are you protected from Hepatitis?
Protect yourself against the ABCDEs of Hepatitis
28th of July marks World Hepatitis Day.
What’s Hepatitis, you ask?
It’s the medical term used to describe the inflammation of a very important organ – the liver.
Most Hepatitis infections are minor, many people will recover quickly within weeks or months. However, some will develop chronic, long-term infections. This might lead to health problems or even death as a result of liver disease, or liver cancer.
According to the World Health Organization, a person dies of a hepatitis-related illness every 30 seconds.
Wait…Don’t I already have immunity from Hepatitis?
Well, yes… but also no.
If you were born in Singapore after 1985, chances are you have already received vaccination jabs against Hepatitis B (among other things, the full list here). In addition, the immunity gained lasts a lifetime.
And if you can’t get Hepatitis B, you also can’t get Hepatitis D, which only affects Hepatitis B victims.
So that’s the good news.
The bad news is that there are other kinds of Hepatitis you might be not immunised against. All in all, there are five common Hepatitis types – A, B, C, D and E, which are caused by different viruses.
Hepatitis |
Vaccine? |
A |
Yes |
B |
Yes |
C |
No |
D |
No, but preventing Hep B will prevent Hep D |
E |
No |
In addition, unknown types of Hepatitis might still be out there. The world is currently facing a global outbreak of ‘acute hepatitis’ amongst children – three children have already been infected in Singapore.
Who’s most at risk?
Certain groups are more at risk of getting a Hepatitis infection. These include:
● Unvaccinated persons
● Persons to have exposure to infected blood and body fluids (health care users)
● Persons who might have exposure to contaminated needles or other sharp objects that break the skin (tattooing, piercing, drug use)
● People with multiple sex partners; especially those engaging in unprotected sex
Prevention is better than cure. To reduce your risk:
● Get vaccinated
● Always make sure any sharp objects or needles you use are sterilized, or disposable
● If you’re sexually active, use protection
What if I already have Hepatitis?
It’s not always the end of the world if you get chronic Hepatitis. However, you will need to make some effort to lead a healthy life.
Get protected against Hepatitis with a health insurance policy
Last but not least, it’s important to get a good health insurance policy. This is so that in the unfortunate event you do get infected with Hepatitis, you won’t be saddled with a large hospital bill.
Health insurance policies should include both hospitalisation plans, which take care of your medical treatments, as well as Hospital cash insurance, which gives you cash benefits to support you during your recovery period.
Stay protected with our health insurance plans here. Get exclusive basic health screening packages or executive heath screening packages on our Great Eastern Rewards app!
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