Hep B Info?

[nchnt1]

We're hoping to be able to bring home a little girl from China who has hepatitis B. We need to understand what is involved in managing this disease, both for the child and the other members of the family. We'd really appreciate any information, or suggestions for good resources, that you can offer! Thank you! Ann

[HollieOR]

Hi Ann,

I would be happy to help as much as I can. I would first start with some good websites:

www.hepb.org
www.cdc.gov ( you then have to look up Hep B)
www.comeunity.com/adoption/health/hepatitis

I liked the info on those the best! There is also a yahoo group you can join for adoptive families it does have a lot of good info too. You can pm me if you want that link!

Hepatitis B has a vaccine out to prevent infection to family members. (Children in most states are required to have the vaccine for school entry.) Adults who would be at risk of getting exposure to the disease can also be vaccinated. Remember that you would need to take precautions if there is blood or body fluid exposure (not saliva or tears, we are talking semen or vaginal secretions). If there was an exposure there would need to be a point of entry on the person exposed as well to risk infecting that individual.

Your child would need to see a specialist regularly to monitor the viral activity. Some children need treatment and others might not.

If you have other specific questions you can let me know!!
Good luck and let us know if there is any news to share!!

[nchnt1]

Thank you so much, Holly! We'll visit those websites, and I'll PM you for the yahoo group's link. We won't hear for several weeks whether we'll be considered for this little girl, so we'll educate ourselves while we wait... Ann