Why one of the most worldwide and easily spread diseases can be ignored by the majority of people? According to the Hepatitis B Foundation, (Hepb.org), "worldwide, 2 billion people (1 out of 3 people) have been infected with HBV and 400 million people have become chronic carriers of the virus."(1/5). No one can explain the fact that most people know a great deal about the HIV-AIDS, which infected only 47 million people worldwide, and do not know anything or only a little about Hepatitis B, which is 100 times more contagious. Hepatitis B is a liver inflammation disease cause by Hepatitis B virus (HBV), which attacks and destroys liver cells, and can turn into liver cancer or cirrhosis. It can be transmitted sexually, by bodily fluids, from an infected mother to baby during delivery, by unsterile needles, razors, and medical equipments. The treatment of the disease is long and expensive, and the cure rate is low. Although HBV is an easily spread and dangerous virus; it is also preventable. Thus, if people practice good hygienic life, media inform the public about the disease, and governments help to sustain scientific research on HBV, the percentage of liver disease, cause by HBV, can decrease considerably.
In the evolution of many diseases or infections, lifestyle has an important role to play. This also applies to hepatitis B. So, eating healthy, exercising, sleeping well, and finally, having a safe sexual practices can prevent people from contracting the HBV, or can help them fight the virus at the acute stage. The quality of foods consumed can have a major impact on the health and well being of individuals. Therefore, people have to be very careful about what they put in their bodies. Many foods are beneficial to health; however, some are very dangerous and can cause damage in the body. As one Chinese idiom says, "we become what we eat," people have to be very selective about their diet.
