'Screen-and-treat' scheme for hepatitis B may prevent deadly complications
Wednesday, July 27, 2016 - 11:01
in Health & Medicine
Research into Africa’s first ‘screen-and-treat’ program for hepatitis B suggests the initiative may reduce deadly complications of the virus. The hepatitis B virus infects around 250 million people worldwide, and is transmitted through blood and bodily fluids. It is commonly transferred from mother to baby during birth. However the virus causes no immediate symptoms, and can remain silent in the body for decades until triggering severe complications such as liver damage (cirrhosis) and cancer.