TO KISS OR NOT TO KISS
I have known no sleep for close to a week now after testing positive for hepatitis, Neba confessed to me, a month ago. He was standing a few meters away from his fiancée Bessem who had also come for a test at the Presbyterian Health Complex, Bepanda.
“You should be so scared, man”, I told him, patting his broad shoulder under the fine white silk shirt. I could feel it was moist from his sweaty skin despite the abundant cooling effect of the AC at the hospital reception hall.
“Bro, we have been kissing out our lives” he explained, breathy. ” We have been having sex too. Unprotected”.
“Courage, guy, only the test will tell”.
A lot of people are yet to know about hepatitis.
What is Hepatitis?
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections affect the liver and the acute infection may become chronic hepatitis disease, with very serious potential consequences on the liver such as cirrhosis or liver cancer that can be challenging to treat and may require liver transplant or lead to death. Despite having an effective vaccine, hepatitis B is the world’s most common liver infection; over 292 million people around the world are estimated to be living with chronic hepatitis B. About 350 million people are infected with hepatitis B across the globe. Worldwide, about 170 million people have hepatitis C.
But why was Neba so scared?
Catching hepatitis by kissing an infected person is unlikely — although deep kissing that involves the exchange of large amounts of saliva might result in HBV, especially if there are cuts or abrasions in the mouth of the infected person. In any case, one had better be safe than sorry. I was still musing over all this when I saw Neba return to the hall, holding Bessem along and both beaming with bright smiles. Bessem had tested negative.
‘So will you guys kiss again?” I teased.
“Of course,” retorted Bess. “I’m kissing the vaccine and he is kissing the early treatment, so we will soon kiss our way into marriage” We both laughed heartily as other outpatients watched curiously.
If you haven’t taken one yet, go for a hepatitis test. If you test negative, get the vaccine. If positive, get on treatment early. It will save your life and spare you another day to kiss again.
By: Fon Honore
