Good day family. It’s my wish that everyone reading this is well and sound in our mutual commitment of continuous support.
I was just watching this news about hepatitis b and I’m inserting the link to the YouTube video here: https://youtu.be/gVZfkJMp8u8?si=cqviQDlmqvQ_J2xR
Kindly watch if you may 
Particularly, i want to know about your views on the saliva transmission. Thanks
Hi @Justice,
The best available data indicate HBV is not secreted into saliva or in sweat, so these are not normal routes of transmission.
However, HBV is efficiently transmitted by direct blood contact, and it does not take a lot of blood to do so. This means if there is contaminated blood in saliva due to a cut or open sore in a person’s mouth, then there is at least a conceivable chance of transmission if the contaminated blood comes into contact with someone else’s blood, for example from an open sore in another person’s mouth. Bleeding of the gums around the teeth is fairly common in people with gingiovitis (ie, an infection of the gums around the teeth), but is rare in people with healthy gums. Therefore, transmission by saliva requires a very unusual set of circumstances. Same thing with HBV in sweat–it would not be in clean sweat, but if there is blood in the sweat from a sore or cut, then transmission could occur. So overall, I rate this video as misleading rather than wrong.
The video is right that HBV survives at body temperature on surfaces for an extended time, so food at 37C (human body temp) or exposure on skin will not inactivate it. However, HBV cannot survive high temperatures, so boiling soup for example would inactivate HBV (I cannot remember how long 100C takes to kill the virus, but it would not be long).
I hope this helps.
John.
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Sad for us that there is no real scientific consensus on this saliva issue. My wife has finally, after 9mos, started kissing me hello and goodbye on the lips. I dry them well to avoid this changing back again. Even a .001% chance of getting it scares people. Having it means we all know and understand that fear.
Thanks for sharing
Denny
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Hi @Justice ,
Thanks @john.tavis for the excellent explanation. Because something is probably or has a reasonable chance does not necessarily means it is a cause or going to happen. Some people confuse such instances. Aside from the issue of saliva and sharing a bowl of food together, I find it a little odd that the professor or doctor in the video never mentioned vaccination as a prevention method. Rather he kept talking about people checking viral load like it is an easy test accessible to all Ghanaians and is free or something. I think that is an opportunity missed. There are vaccines available so I was hoping he will mention that but he never did. A strange observation, unless he does not know that there are vaccines to protect people against HBV. I doubt that.
@Denny, great to hear that things are moving slowly in the right direction for you. With time, you will get there again. Be patient with her.
Thanks, Bansah1
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Thanks, Bright. I know this is as far as it will go but every kiss almost brings a tear to my eyes because it means so much more now than when I took it for granted…
How are the allergies, bud?
Denny
The video was a well-intentioned effort to educate people, so the presenter should be respected for trying even if he missed the mark by a bit. Also note that unless this was broadcast live, it may have been edited for length. The editors may have inadvertently cut out key information, such as vaccination, because they may not have know how important it is.
John.
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Never say never, remain hopeful and give it time. Don’t close that door completely yet. I empathize with that feeling. After going through all that, I am not surprised you have a new perspective on life and appreciate the little things even more. It is a lesson most of us have learned too over the years of facing challenges.
Those stubborn pollens, they get better a day or 2 after it rains but then days later it is back. Not as bad as it was some weeks ago. Now it is affecting my eyes more than my nose. It will pass as well. Thanks for asking. Hang in there, Denny.
Hi @john.tavis,
Well noted. These shows in Ghana are mostly live conversations or discussions and not pre-recorded. I just thought vaccination was an important piece to forget especially after concurring with his colleague and friend’s recommendation that people should stop eating from the same bowl with people infected with HBV or in general. I have no issue here, just pointing out an observation. Thanks as always. Bansah1
Thanks @john.tavis, @Bansah1, @Denny and everyone for your immense love and attention.
It is true that most of these shows are live broadcast on Television and i do also think it was probably an oversight on the side of the professor not to have mentioned the availability of vaccines.
Denny, things they say works out in the end. Slowly but gradually you will get there- give yourself sometime and hopefully when that happens you will have a course t celebrate.
John’s immeasurable explanation is what the world need and i couldn’t agree more. 
Thanks again. With hope, we can overcome these storms.
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