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Editorial Director
David Hauslaib | Email
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Andrew Belonsky | Email
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Jossip Initiatives
Diseases are pretty scary and if there's one disease we're particularly frightened of, it's Hepatitis B: the acute virus that targets the liver and has been cited as the second-leading cause of cancer (after cigarettes, of course).
Like so many diseases, many people assume that Hep-B's someone else problem. But, of course, they're are wrong. To curb infection, some do-gooder Brits have launched a new campaign to spread the word.
The B Aware Campaign estimates that "approximately 2 billion people are infected with the virus worldwide, it is the 10th leading cause of death globally..." Holy shit, right? That's a lot of people. What's even more frightening is this little tidbit from Pink News UK: "...gay men are said to be particularly at risk being approximately 10 times more likely to carry the diseases..."
Ahhhhh!! We just shat our pants.
Luckily, immunization against the virus is readily available in most developed. So, readers, if you haven't already taken the necessary precautions, head over to your friendly neighborhood doctor and get the needle prick so you can then get the human prick (relatively) worry free.
Oh, and just to up the ante: peeps with Hep-B aren't supposed to drink. Now that's frightful...
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Interestingly, colleges require the Hep-B vaccine... and so do public schools in general, I think.
So, luckily, anyone who's about 25 or younger probably has this vaccine. Most public schools, at least, were giving it away for free (in Massachusetts, anyway - not sure about other states).
I was diagnosed with Hep B about four years ago. It was the scariest time in my life because i always had, have and will play safe. I did not know about the vaccination until after the fact but, apparently, some people are genetically predisposed to the virus and the vaccine won't take. Still, you should get it and talk to your doctor.
I take one little miracle pill a day that has made the virus count in my body drop by the millions. Hep B multiplies at a much greater rate than HIV. And I have to have a sonogram (just like i was pregnant!) once a year.
So I continue to be careful. I have to have an upfront conversation with any date as soon as it looks like things are heading in that direction. And life goes on.
Doctor says it's ok to drink a little bit, not to excess. And so I do.
But building awareness is really important. I've started seeing posters for it around town. Saw one in the bathroom of Nowhere in the East Village.
GET VACCINATED. There are no tell-tale warning signs. You might have it and not know about it.