Hanover, Gießen, Cologne – Germans want to travel again as they did before the corona pandemic: According to current information from the research association Holidays and Travel (FUR), 70 percent of the population are planning to travel in 2023. Holiday travel was the second most important thing to respondents, with only groceries ranking higher. Health and sport rank behind the desire to travel. The organizers of the 24th German Liver Day on November 20, 2023 are taking the impending start of the holiday season as an opportunity to remind people of the importance of travel vaccinations in the run-up to the nationwide day of action – the risks are particularly great for people with chronic liver disease. The German Liver Day is organized by the Gastro-Liga e. V., the Deutsche Leberhilfe e. V. and the German Liver Foundation. With this year’s motto “Do you know your liver values?”, the organizers point out the importance of the liver values in the blood, which can provide important information about the health of this vital organ.
More than a million lives have been saved by the COVID-19 vaccines in Europe, according to a report published by the World Health Organization (WHO) in April 2023. The COVID-19 pandemic has now entered the endemic phase, thanks in part to the high vaccination rates worldwide. At the end of April 2023, the Standing Vaccination Commission (STIKO) included the COVID-19 vaccination in the STIKO Vaccination Recommendations 2023. The risk groups listed, for which an annual booster vaccination will be recommended in future, also include people with an increased risk of a severe course of the disease, such as people with liver disease and immunosuppressed people. There is no chronic liver disease and no disease stage that would speak against vaccination.
In some popular holiday countries, there are health risks from viral infections, which holidaymakers often bring home as unwanted and unnoticed holiday souvenirs. There are effective vaccinations against many of these viral infections.
“Vaccinations are among the most important and effective preventive measures available to us in medicine. In addition to the standard vaccinations recommended in Germany, there are other vaccinations that are advisable for travelers. If you are planning a holiday, you should find out about any necessary precautionary measures and vaccinations in good time before you start your journey,” explains Prof. Dr. Michael P. Manns, Chairman of the Board of the German Liver Foundation, and adds his vaccination recommendation for liver disease and liver transplant recipients on immunosuppressive therapy: “For these special patient groups, effective vaccination protection – also independent of travel plans – is particularly important because there is a significantly increased susceptibility to bacterial and viral infections infections must be expected. For example, they should always be vaccinated against hepatitis A and hepatitis B – as early as possible.”
Hepatitis A often occurs in popular holiday destinations with low hygiene standards, such as the Mediterranean region, Southeast Asia, Africa, Central and South America and the Middle East. The hepatitis A virus is transmitted faecal-orally, i.e. either through direct contact with infected people or through contaminated food. Holidaymakers often don’t know that sometimes the ice cubes in the drink or the menu with fresh mussels can be a source of danger. In addition, there is a risk of infection during sexual contact with certain practices.
Vaccination also protects against the hepatitis B virus. With combination vaccines that protect against hepatitis A and B, the number of injections required is reduced. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is transmitted through blood or body secretions. The most common sources of infection include contacts with the risk of minor skin injuries. Tattooing, shaving, ear piercing or piercing done under non-sterile conditions can lead to infection. The hepatitis B virus can also be transmitted during unprotected sex. Hepatitis B can become chronic and subsequently lead to liver cirrhosis and liver cell cancer. There are around 296 million carriers of the hepatitis B virus worldwide. Anyone who has been vaccinated against HBV also builds up protection against hepatitis delta, since hepatitis delta can only develop with hepatitis B.
There is currently no vaccination available against another hepatitis virus: the hepatitis C virus (HCV) is transmitted almost exclusively via blood-to-blood contact. Non-sterile tattoo needles, piercings or razors are the main sources of infection. In some regions of Asia or Africa, more than five percent of the population carries the hepatitis C virus. To treat this virus variant, there are effective new drugs that intervene directly in the replication cycle of the virus (so-called DAAs – Direct Acting Antiviral Agents). This means that chronic hepatitis C can be cured in almost all patients in a short time and with almost no side effects for several years.
Patients with liver cirrhosis and liver transplant recipients are also recommended vaccinations with inactivated vaccines against shingles, vaccination against pneumococci, which can cause pneumonia, and annual vaccination against flu (influenza). STIKO and the German Society for Tropical Medicine, Travel Medicine and Global Health e. V. (DTG) always publish the current travel vaccination recommendations on the website of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). Before a trip, the individual vaccination status should always be checked and possible vaccination gaps closed. Specialized doctors in private practice as well as tropical institutes and sometimes also health authorities are available for this. The website of the Federal Foreign Office provides information about current outbreak events and travel warnings.
In addition to the vaccinations, which can be used to prevent unwanted “travel souvenirs” in the body, Prof. Manns advises making an appointment for a check-up: “Since October 1, 2021, as part of the health check-ups, statutory health insurance companies can offer their insured persons from an age from the age of 35 offer a one-off screening for hepatitis B and C. This is intended to help reduce the high number of unreported infections with these two hepatitis viruses and to be able to offer those affected treatment as early as possible. If the disease is recognized too late or left untreated, it can lead to cirrhosis of the liver or hepatocellular carcinoma.”
More information on the 24th German Liver Day and all press releases published so far as part of this year’s German Liver Day can be found at: www.lebertag.org.
Organizer and contact person of the 24th German Liver Day:
German Liver Aid Association V, Prof. Dr. Christoph Sarrazin, CEO
Kieler Strasse 100, 50935 Cologne
[email protected]
www.leberhilfe.org
German Liver Foundation, Prof. Dr. Michael P. Manns, Chairman of the Board
Carl-Neuberg-Strasse 1, 30625 Hanover
[email protected]
www.deutsche-leberstiftung.de
German Society for the Control of Diseases of the Stomach, Intestines and Liver and of Disorders of the Metabolism and Nutrition (Gastro-Liga) e. V, Prof. Dr. Peter R. Galle, Member of the Scientific Advisory Board
Friedrich-List-Strasse 13, 35398 Gießen
[email protected]
www.gastro-liga.de