Viral hepatitis is a common infection and predominantly affects the kids, teens and adults who lead active lives and engage in both amateur and competitive sport-related activity.
Major ways through which these bloods borne pathogens are transmitted to athletes are
- Utilization of common contaminated syringes for drug injection
- Bleeding wounds during sports
- Getting tattoos
- Sharing personal belongings of one another
Ask Your Kid
- Regular hand washing, especially after going to the bathroom and before eating
- Wash fruits and vegetables before eating them
- Not to eat raw shellfish, such as raw oysters
- Get the vaccine
- Proper first aid methods should be adopted to deal with bleeding and body fluids. In case a player is bleeding side-line him/her until the bleeding has stopped. Cover the wound and clean up blood. Should an accident involving your child with HBV occur, you can always reconsider if you want to share this information with the coach, should you feel there was an exposure that warrants post-exposure treatment.
- Constantly counsel players about the risks of viral transmission during sports.
Identifying The Symptoms
Some kids with hepatitis do not show any signs of having the disease. Others may have these symptoms:
- Feeling extra tired
- flu-like symptoms — throwing up, feeling hot, etc.
- yellowing of skin and whites of eyes
- belly pain (especially on the upper right side)
- dark brown pee
- light-colored stools (poop)
- Poor appetite for days in a row or weight loss
Horizontal transmission of hepatitis B in contact sports is an issue to which health care professionals should pay careful attention. Keeping close contact with team members and the sharing of food and drink may increase the likelihood of spreading enteric forms of viral hepatitis, and a small risk of sports-related transmission of hepatitis B and C virus exists.