Personal toiletry items and grooming tools such as toothbrushes, razors, nail clippers and even nail polish should not be shared to avoid the risk of getting hepatitis.
The use of such items and tools can sometimes cause cuts and injuries through which viruses can be transmitted, and sharing them with another person could result in infections and the spread of the disease, said Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.
“Hepatitis patients are also advised against donating blood as the infection can be passed on to the recipient,” he said, adding that safe sex practices could also prevent the spread of the disease.
Dr Noor Hisham said this in a statement today in conjunction with the 2019 World Hepatitis Day.
A person can be infected with Hepatitis B or C when exposed directly to the bodily fluids and blood of an infected person through wounds, sharing needles and sex.
It can also be transmitted from mother to baby during the birth process.
Hepatitis is a disease that causes inflammation of the liver.
It is caused by the hepatitis A, B, C, D and E viruses.
Hepatitis A and E are usually caused by ingestion of contaminated food or water, while B, C and D lead to chronic diseases and are major causes of cirrhosis (scarring) of liver and liver cancer.
In Malaysia, the Hepatitis B notification rate has increased over the last five years, from 12.94 per 100,000 persons in 2014, to 14.52 per 100,000 last year.
For Hepatitis C, an estimated 3,000 new infections were reported to the Health Ministry (MOH) each year. Last year, 2,842 new cases of Hepatitis C were reported with a rate of 8.77 per 100,000 residents.
In conjunction with World Hepatitis Day, Dr Noor Hisham said the ministry had conducted Hepatitis C screening campaigns in collaboration with related agencies at 112 of its facilities. They included 49 hospitals and 63 health clinics