Migration 'fuelling rice in Hepatitis B (Exploring the link between Essay

Migration 'fuelling rice in Hepatitis B (Exploring the link between migration and the rise of hepatitis B in the UK..focus on Ea - Essay Example Each region of the world has its own set of endemic diseases, disease-carrying insects and animals, water-borne contamination and chemicals, and issues with access to medical care. For the cause of public health, it must be determined which immigrant groups are high risk, and the magnitude of that risk. Ethnicity, country of origin, and race have all been proven to have at least some effect on the progression and treatment of infectious diseases. Understanding the more concrete links between race and ethnicity to the spread specifically of hepatitis B can give physicians the information they require to treat the unique and specialised needs of each ethnic group (Brant & Boxall, 2009). Background - Hepatitis B Approximately 350 million people worldwide are infected with hepatitis B which is caused by, unsurprisingly, the hepatitis B virus. Hepatitis B is a serious health concern and can greatly reduce the length and quality of a sufferer's life, especially when it is left untreated du e to the unavailability of proper medical care, the ignorance of the person to the presence of the infection, or the stigma attached to the disease causing the sufferer not to seek out what care may be available to them. Many lives are lost worldwide every year due to a lack of treatment and vaccination, especially in developing nations (NIDDK, 2009). It is imperative that we understand the workings of this disease, its progression, and its method of contagion, in order to reduce the spread and the worldwide severity of hepatitis B, especially in the case of immigrants. From a public health standpoint, it is thankful that hepatitis B infection is limited to transfer by bodily fluids, such as blood or semen. These fluids may be transferred at any time when two people are in contact with open wounds or mucous membranes, such during unprotected sexual intercourse, during childbirth if the mother is infected, by providing medical care to an infected person without the proper barriers in place to prevent the spread of microbes, and through the reuse of contaminated needles. However, it cannot be transmitted by touch or by air, limiting the speed at which the disease can spread. Therefore, the risk to the general public from an infected person is low; it is those who live in the infected person's household who are most likely to become infected due to accidental contact with bodily fluids (NIDDK, 2009). Infection with the virus may remain undetected for many years after the initial contact, which is why immigrants who seem otherwise healthy may be able to enter the United Kingdom already infected. The disease passes through four phases over about ten to twenty-five years, and remains in the patient's system permanently after the initial infection and disease remission. The first phase is often symptomless and not discovered unless the person is tested for an unrelated reason, and the fourth phase is a marked decrease in viral load, referred to as a period of remissi on. When the body reaches a high level