Discrimination Against Hepatitis B: The Formerly Ominous Suppression
For a long time, for many hepatitis B patients or virus carriers, whether in terms of oneself, career, family, or social interactions, every aspect of life cruelly reminded them: you are not a healthy person, but an unwelcome infectious disease patient.
The experience of a college graduate who came for treatment is heart-wrenching. Due to being diagnosed with "big three positive" hepatitis B, he was repeatedly rejected by employers. In desperation, he tearfully pleaded, "Doctor, please issue me a certificate!" Although the doctor agreed to sign and write the suggestion of "normal liver function, can work" on his medical record, he was still not accepted by the employer.
For a hepatitis B patient or carrier, experiences such as not being allowed to attend kindergarten as a child, unable to attend university as an adult, and facing immense difficulty finding a job after graduation, have set high hurdles at several key stages of life. A survey in 2003 showed that civil servants in 31 provinces, regions, and municipalities did not recruit hepatitis B virus carriers; in September 2004, a university in Shandong Province issued notices advising 58 candidates found to carry the hepatitis B virus to withdraw.
In such a large environment, discrimination against hepatitis B is omnipresent. Almost every patient and virus carrier has encountered neglect from others, fear of handshakes, and people avoiding them from afar. They transitioned from sadness to numbness, unwilling to expose themselves, eventually developing into depression and other mental disorders. In 2005, the Chinese Medical Association released the first survey on the current understanding of hepatitis B patients in our country: about 60% of patients completely changed their living habits after contracting hepatitis B. Within families, the relationship between hepatitis B patients and their children or partners has changed due to the disease. 47% of hepatitis B patients worry about losing their jobs if their workplace discovers they have hepatitis B, and 52% of patients lost opportunities for ideal jobs and education due to hepatitis B.
Society's Call: Eliminate Hepatitis B Five-Check Tests in School Admission and Recruitment Physicals
Despite repeated emphasis through media and popular science books that daily contact does not transmit hepatitis B, the perception of hepatitis B as a severe infectious disease is deeply rooted in the minds of the public in our country. Simple education and publicity find it difficult to change people's views on hepatitis B in a short period. Most colleges and workplaces still avoid hepatitis B virus carriers during recruitment.
Hepatitis B patients do have some level of infectivity. However, their daily infectivity is very low. This cannot be a reason to deprive hepatitis B patients of their right to work and pursue happiness or serve society! Getting sick is not their fault! The pain endured by hepatitis B patients far outweighs the fear produced by others! Why should the issues within the entire society be borne by us, who are already suffering? Why can't we give hepatitis B carriers fair treatment?
Since the shift in perceptions requires time, why not eliminate the five hepatitis B checks in physical exams, first eliminating discrimination against hepatitis B virus carriers from a technical standpoint, and then gradually changing people's perceptions?" We should also refer to practices abroad, where except for certain special industries like food processing, early childhood education, and healthcare, the "five hepatitis B" tests should be eliminated in school admissions and other recruitment physicals, truly protecting the privacy of hepatitis B virus carriers and avoiding discrimination against them.
Expert Analysis: Correct Understanding of Hepatitis B and Scientific Treatment is Key
1. Recognizing the Transmission Routes of Hepatitis B:
① Mother-to-child transmission: Mothers with acute hepatitis B and those carrying HBsAg may transmit hepatitis B to newborns.
② Blood-borne transmission: Includes transfusion of blood and blood products containing the hepatitis B virus, unclean injections, surgeries, tooth extractions, tattoos, acupuncture, ear piercings, endoscopic examinations, and accidental needle sticks among medical personnel.
③ Iatrogenic transmission: Primarily caused by the use of non-disposable injection needles and endoscopes that have not been strictly disinfected. Therefore, there should be a strong promotion of disposable medical devices.
④ Sexual transmission: The positivity rate of HBsAg through sexual transmission is 5.44%, while the positivity rate through general contact in social life is only 0.68%. Promiscuity is an important cause of sexually transmitted hepatitis B.
⑤ General contact transmission: This mainly refers to life contacts involving body fluid exchange, such as sharing razors, toothbrushes, and other hygiene items. Transmission within family members is more common. Additionally, saliva can also lead to transmission.
2. "Anti-HBV Immunotherapy" Leads the Way in New Treatments
The "Anti-HBV Immunotherapy" adopted by the August First Hepatitis Hospital of Mudanjiang originates from rebuilding the immune capacity of hepatitis B patients to achieve the goal of clearing the hepatitis virus. "Anti-HBV Immunotherapy" can alter the immune tolerance state of the hepatitis virus, correct immunodeficiency, enhance cellular immunity and humoral immunity, increase specific and non-specific immune responses of the body, block viral genetic susceptibility and damage to liver cells, and combine with combined traditional Chinese and Western medicine therapy to restore the normal immune system of the body, thereby alleviating hepatitis viruses and restoring healthy livers. Experts in the domestic hepatology field generally believe that the prospects of treating liver diseases with "Anti-HBV Immunotherapy" are broad.
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