Tiffany Davis
Doris Epnett
Composition 1
16 February 2016
Hepatitis B Vaccine Of all the STDs an individual can contract Hepatitis B is usually the farthest from a young adults’ radar. It’s not something that we hear about in everyday life. While it is a sexually transmitted disease, sexual contact isn’t the only way to contract the virus. It can be contracted by something as simple as accidentally using an infected individuals’ toothbrush. Apparently it’s more common than an average person thinks. In the U.S. 1 out of 20 people are infected and about 40,000 people will be infected each year (Unknown, Statistics). On the grand scheme of things 40,000 isn’t a lot compared to how many people live in the U.S., but I’m pretty sure most people would pass on being in that number. Hepatitis B in most
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As with most things, there are naysayers who would rather pass on the opportunity for the vaccination. Through my research, I’ve discovered that a simple vaccine could potentially save an individual from a lifetime of pain and even death. It’s definitely better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. Hepatitis is nothing new, it has been the killer of many for years. Since World War II the virus has been affecting a large number of people. Back then, however, it was largely unknown what hepatitis actually was. “It was assumed to be contagious because epidemics of hepatitis often occurred in crowded, unsanitary conditions.” (Patlak, Blumberg, Hilleman, Rutter, The Hepatitis B Story). In the 1940s, a doctor, who specialized in liver disease, named F.O. MacCallum shed some light on how it was being spread. While trying to figure out what it was, one symptom greatly stood out. Jaundice, which is the discoloration of the skin, coloring it yellow. This symptom was the common denominator among the infected. At the time, this was chocked up to yellow fever which they knew was transmitted by mosquitos. The alarming