Factors that increase your risk for contracting Shingles are as follows: Affliction with chickenpox The first pre-requisite that you should have before contracting shingles is that you had a history of having chickenpox infection in your childhood or in your  earlier life. If you did not have chickenpox, but had the chicken pox vaccine then you have a very small risk. Affliction with chronic and malignant diseases If you have been suffering from chronic diseases such as diabetes mellitus or HIV infection you are prone to contract shingles because these diseases weaken your immune system. In addition, if you have been suffering from malignant diseases such as malignant lymphomas and Hodgkin’s disease and blood and lymph diseases like granulocytic leukemia and lymphosarcoma, it is very likely you will suffer from shingles as these diseases decrease your immunologic response. Stresses and injuries If you overworked yourself, working beyond your sleeping and resting time, you will in effect decrease your resistance, and you will easily contract shingles. Stress—be it emotional or physical—will drain your bodily armor to fight shingles. If you had physical injuries and other forms of trauma, and you cannot have daily physical exercises, with limitation of physical movements, you will suffer from shingles.

Vaccination for shingles If you have not contracted shingles yet, you can get vaccination with the Zostavax vaccine. It is recommended for those who are 50 years old and over, and it is administered as single dose. Getting the vaccine is not a total guarantee that you will not get shingles. However, if you do, if ever you will get shingles, it will be less painful. Vaccination for chickenpox If you did not have a history of having chickenpox in your lifetime, you can get a vaccine for it. The rationale for this is that if you can prevent chickenpox, then you can prevent shingles. The vaccine for chickenpox is marketed as Varilrix and it is administered in two doses. The first dose is given on a selected date and the second dose is given at least six weeks after the first dose. It is injected under your skin or injected subcutaneously. Avoiding contact with people with chickenpox or shingles If you cannot get chickenpox or shingles vaccine then avoid contact with people who are suffering from chickenpox or shingles. The fluid contained by the vesicles in chickenpox and the blisters in shingles is very contagious. If you had no history of suffering from them and you did not have the needed vaccine, you are prone to contract any one of the diseases if you get into contact with people suffering from them.

Liver cancer is the sixth most common cancer and the second highest cause of cancer deaths in the world. While incidences of liver cancer can be found in every region, it is most common in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. Though it is primarily caused by hepatitis virus infections, liver cancer has various causes depending on the area in which it is originating. Due to the expensive nature of treatments, prevention and reduction of risk factors should be the primary methods of combating liver cancer. Prevalence of Liver Cancer Nearly 85% of cases occur in Southeast Asia, the Pacific, and Sub-Saharan Africa. Over half of these cases occur in China alone and the highest incidence rate is in Mongolia at 78.1 cases per every 100,000 people (Ferlay, et al., 2013). These are the results of infections with hepatitis viruses B (HBV), C (HCV) or a combination of infections with HBV and hepatitis D virus (HDV). Other countries with high levels of liver cancer (more than 20 cases per 100,000 people) include Taiwan, Korea, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, The Gambia and Guinea (Ferlay, et al., 2013). Incidence of liver cancer is also much higher in men than in women. Incidence of liver cancer are nearly 2 to 3 fold higher in men in almost every country reporting liver cancer incidences.

Most symptoms of liver cancer are not apparent until the later stages of the disease. The most common liver cancer symptoms include: Weight loss Loss of appetite Feeling satiated Nausea or vomiting Enlarged liver Enlarged spleen Abdominal pain Abdominal swelling Itchiness Jaundice (a yellowing of the skin and eyes). Liver tumors may also produce hormones that influence other organs. Some of their effects include hypercalcemia (high blood calcium levels), hypoglycemia (low blood sugar levels), gynecomastia (breast enlargement) or testicle shrinkage, erythocyosis (high red blood cell count), and high cholesterol.  These secondary cancer outcomes can have severe side effects on the patient including confusion, constipation, weakness, muscle issues, fatigue, fainting, and blushing.

There are several risk factors for liver cancer. Interestingly, these risk factors vary based on prevelance. In areas where liver cancer is most common, the risk factors are primarily infections from food contaminated with mycotoxin aflatoxin B1 and hepatitis B. In areas where liver cancer is less common, the major risk factors are hepatitis C virus infection, excessive alcohol consumption, obesity and diabetes. Hepatitis B Virus Chronic infection with HBV infection is the number one cause of HCC in Asia and Africa. Hepatitis B infection results from infection with the Hepatitis B Virus, which is transmitted by blood and body fluids. Chronic infection with HBV can result in cirrhosis and even liver cancer. Of the two billion people that have been infected with HBV, about 18% are chronically infected. Development of liver cancer can occur within 5 to 75 years after infection. HBV is transmitted through bodily fluids such as blood, semen and vaginal fluids. HBV was labeled as a human carcinogen in 1994 by the International agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). The risk of a hepatitis B infection becoming chronic is highly influenced by the age of infection. People infected during infancy or their childhood are more likely to develop chronic hepatitis B.