New drug halts hepatitis
Male homosexuals a high risk group
By Dayid Brown
Of th« Emerald
A new vaccine holds con
siderable promise in preventing
a treacherous strain of hepatitis
common among college-age
male homosexuals, according
to a report by the Immunization
Practices Advisory Committee
Distribution of the hepatitis B
vaccine started in June follow
ing approval of the drug late last
year by the Food and Drug Ad
ministration Almost three years
of tests proved the vaccine
80-95 percent effective against
hepatitis B virus, formerly
known as serum hepatitis
Hepatitis, a disease which
causes inflammation of the liver,
spreads through contact with
body fluids such as saliva or
semen, through shared in
travenous needles or through
the skin during handling of
blood samples
Groups with a high risk of
contracting hepatitis include
mentally retarded people in in
stitutions, health care workers
in contact with blood samples
and homosexuals
Unborn children are not sus
ceptible to the virus while in the
fetal stages, but tend to contract
the disease at birth horn
mothers belonging to high risk
groups, says Dr. John Wilson of
the Eugene Hospital and Clinic
Special treatment is available
after birth, he says
Hepatitis B, like all viruses, is
a microscopic parasite which
makes its home in cells of the
body and is very hard to get at,
Wilson says
Although no antibiotics exist
to combat hepatitis B once it
gets a foothold, someone who
has already contracted the dis
ease should seek treatment,
Wilson says The new vaccine
and the more traditional ranks
of ‘partially effective’’
immunizing protein globulins
appear to have some effect
against the virus during its in
cubation period
Wilson stresses that gay men
at the University should receive
the new immunization. At col
lege age, most gay males have
not been exposed to the hepati
tis B virus, he says
The higher occurrence of
hepatitis exists among gay
males because they tend to
have sexual relationships
frequently involving oral intake
of semen with other members of
a encapsulated society — cir
cumstances which lend them
selves to transfer of the virus.
Wilson says
Between 10 and 20 percent of
gay males become infected with
hepatitis B each year, while the
lifetime risk for contracting
hepatitis for the general
population in the United States
is about 5 percent, according to
the IPAC report About 200.000
people in the United States are
infected with hepatitis annually
More than 10,000 patients are
hospitalized with hepatitis B
each year, the IPAC report es
timates About 4,000 people are
killed each year by the virus
progressing to cirrhosis of the
liver, 800 by hepatitis B-related
liver cancer and 250 by acute
hepatitis, the report says
While the death rate for peo
ple who have contracted the
virus is relatively low, members
of high-risk groups should be
made aware of the vaccine,
Wilson says Death and disabili
ty from complications such as
cirrhosis should not be allowed
to continue now that dependa
ble preventative medicines for
hepatitis B exists, he says It's
time the problem was dealt with
openly, he adds.
Other high-risk groups that
are harder to “get a handle on"
include immigrants and
refugees from Eastern Asia and
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parts of Africa where the dis
ease is prevalent and illicit users
of intravenous needles, Wilson
says.
Of those who contract to the
disease, 6 to 10 percent can
become carriers, the IPAC
reports Carriers may not know
they have the virus because
specific symptoms such as
jaundice — a yellowish
discoloration of body fluids and
tissue caused by liver secre
tions — do not always occur
The disease can also be trans
mitted by people who continue
to carry the virus after its acute
stage because of an inability to
establish immunity, Wilson says
Tests to discover whether a
member of a high-risk group
needs the vaccination or al
ready has an immunity are of
fered by the University Student
Health Center and by various
Pathology Consultants Labora
tories in Eugene
Such test results help one to
avoid the high cost of unneces
sary vaccinations However,
high-risk persons unlikely to be
immune may want to forgo the
cost of the tests and seek vac
cination, which is available at
the laboratories and health
center for about $100
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