Information Please: It appears that there are quite a few SN babies that have hepatitis B as their special need. What do you all know about Hep B. What would be the drawbacks/fears of adopting a baby with Hep B.? Would you adopt a baby with Hep B.?
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
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19 comments:
I'll be the first to say I don't know much about it at all, so I look forward to the answers! Thanks for educating me!
I do not know anything about Hep. B either.. but am waiting to hear all the answers...
Thank you for the WONDERFUL card ....I am sooo honored to have met you on this amazing journey to Isabella..
You are sooo caring and are always looking out for everyone else...
I hope to meet you in person oneday..
Have a Wonderful Evening..
We are off to Colton's football game..
Kim
Yes, I would in fact consider this need. Here, in Canada, kids now get routine Hep B vaccinations around Grade 4. So, pretty much everyone is going to be covered wrt the Hep B virus in the coming years. And you can vaccinate your entire family at any time (you should for travel to China anyways).
Hep B was one of the needs we were definitely considering, Get yourself on Waiting Children China Yahoo group and ask questions and/or go to their Files and Links sections- lots of info there. Everything I've read about Hep B suggests it is almost a non-issue for the majority of people with the virus (and who don't have other health issues along with it). Mostly follow-up for the possibility of liver complications.
i would adopt a Hep B child ... I have a friend who came home with a Hep B child and she gave me loads of information as we were considering putting in for the Hep B girls... most importantly Hep B is a liver concern for the future... she has to get periodic liver function checks and you can never be an alcoholic. As parents you can get vaccinated against it and most all our children have already had the shots ... hope this helps ... oh, you aren't suppose to play full contact sports either ...so no football or boxing for the girls ....
I don't know anything about Hep B, but I have heard of 2 cases recently where they claimed that the child has it, but she didn't at all. One of these, the Dr. here couldn't find any evidence of it in his bloodwork at all. I don't know where the diagnosis came from. I think there's something with the vaccine that you can test false positive.
Kimberley,
I just sent you an email with some Hep B info.
I hope it all comes through!
TB
I don't know. I would have to look into it a lot.
All I've heard is don't allow the children to share toothbrushes...gross but kids are kids.....
And be careful handling blood....
BTW positive and carrier are two big different things!!!
Sadly I know TOO much about Hepatitis, I have Hepatitis C from a blood transfusion in the 80's from a hysterectomy.
As far as risk , the family should all be vaccinated from the virus, and as ALWAYS blood spills need to be cleaned up using the universal procautions, gloves and bleach.
There are some amazing treatments, new ones coming out every few years, presently my virus is in a state of inactivity and if I behave(good diet, NO ALCOHOL,EVER) it may never rear it's ugly head again.
The child will be given yearly blood work and liver function tests(PCR, ALT,AST blood tests)
Also the child may be positive for Hep B, but may have cleared the virus. This maybe mean the child has been immunized for Hep B and shows positive antibodies or has come into contact with someone who is positive(ie, Mother).
My Jillian was pos. for Hep but didn't have the virus , she was immunized for B.
This is really a personal decision, we didn't have ANY fears but surely one should discuss this with family physician or a Hepatologist before commiting.
As Jennifer said, I know of a few families who adopted Hep B babies and when they got home they came back negative for Hep B. Also, when we were waiting I looked into Hep B and was totally willing to do SN with a Hep B baby. Not a lot of problems with these kids. Good luck and would love to see a referral comming soon!!!
Christy :)
Sarah has Hep B. I don't tell everyone about it but I would e-mail with you privately. Look for my yahoo address on the side bar of my blog. It's a very easy SN. Our whole family have had the shots so it does not hurt us. We need to manage her blood so that it doesn't infect others. She is very healthy and has a very good chance of staying healthy. They may even have a cure in 5-10 years.
Yep, I'd do it in a heartbeat. With vaccines that are required for us, and now are being more widely used throughout the world, I think it has hope of one day being irradicated. Most people who are Hep B positive never have any issues AT ALL. One of the easiest SN's to deal with, in my opinion. My sister is a Physician's Assistant (PA-C) with a nephrology group, and she's always baffled that more Hep B kids aren't adopted, my guess is due to a lack of understanding of what that means. (She volunteered with a group of physicians giving care to orphans in Hunan). Research it. Talk to your own doctor.
Yes, I would!
I don't know a ton...but it seems that the kids I have known of are doing just great and so are their families. Can't wait to hear more:)
I think all the info I know has been covered here.
Please post any info you receive on it. Funny SN should come up. Dan and I gave it until Oct.1 to see how the wait was going and then we would make a decision on NSN or SN.
Thanks!
Kim,
I will pray for you to be led to the baby that God has planned for you. I don't know anything about hep B but I know that your heart will find the answers.
I think it is important to get all the info you can too:)
Hugs,
Kim
Lots of great info on google. I will be praying for you that God will give you wisdom on which ever direction he leads you on.
I am new to your blog, I would adopt a child with this illness.
**Directly from Mayo Clinic website**
Once you've developed chronic hepatitis B, few treatment options exist. In some cases — especially if you don't have signs and symptoms or liver damage — your doctor may suggest monitoring, rather than treating, your condition. In other cases, your doctor may recommend treatment with antiviral medications. When liver damage is severe, liver transplantation may be the only option.
Drug therapies
Doctors use four drugs to treat chronic HBV infection:
Interferon. Your body naturally produces interferon to help protect against invading organisms such as viruses. Giving additional interferon that has been manufactured in a laboratory may stimulate your body's immune response to HBV and help prevent the virus from replicating in your cells. Not everyone is a candidate for treatment with interferon. In a few cases, interferon eliminates the virus completely, although the infection can later return. Interferon has a number of side effects — many of which resemble signs and symptoms of hepatitis B. These include depression, fatigue, muscle pains, body aches, fever and nausea. Signs and symptoms are usually worse during the first two weeks of treatment and in the first four to six hours after receiving an injection of interferon. A more serious side effect that may occur over time is a decreased production of red blood cells. Two interferon medications are available, interferon alfa-2b (Intron A) and peginterferon alfa-2a (Pegasys). Intron A is administered by injection several times a week. Pegasys is given by injection once a week.
Lamivudine (Epivir-HBV). This antiviral medication helps prevent HBV from replicating in your cells. It's usually taken in pill form once a day. Side effects during treatment are generally minimal, but you may experience a severe worsening of symptoms when you stop taking the drug. Lamivudine can also cause a drug-resistant form of HBV to develop, particularly when taken as a long-term treatment. Tell your doctor if you have had any kidney problems or history of pancreatitis before starting this medication. If you experience worsening jaundice or any unusual bruising, bleeding or fatigue while taking lamivudine, call your doctor right away.
Adefovir dipivoxil (Hepsera). This drug, taken by pill once daily, also helps prevent HBV from replicating in your cells. An added benefit is that it's effective in people who are resistant to lamivudine. Like lamivudine, side effects during treatment usually are minimal, but symptoms may worsen when you go off the medication. And Hepsera may cause kidney toxicity.
Entecavir (Baraclude). This antiviral medication, approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in March 2005, is taken once a day in pill form. Studies comparing Baraclude with lamivudine found Baraclude to be more effective. Baraclude may cause serious worsening of symptoms when the drug is discontinued.
Telbivudine (Tyzeka, Sebivo). This antiviral medication, approved by the FDA in October 2006, is similar to lamivudine, though slightly stronger. Like lamivudine, telbivudine is also associated with a high rate of resistance.
Liver transplantation
When your liver has been severely damaged, a liver transplant may be an option. The encouraging news is that these transplants are increasingly successful. Unfortunately, not enough donor organs are available for every person who needs a transplant.
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