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Hepatitis C And C. C

Decent Essays

When a doctor uses the term Hepatitis C or HCV, what comes to mind? Many people have little to no knowledge of what it is. Is it deadly? Is there a cure? Is it a virus or disease? There are many questions that enter the mind because there are many concerns associated with an unknown illness. Several people wonder if the virus is similar to hepatitis A or B because there has been education throughout the years that provides more awareness surrounding the two known viruses, but it is discovered there are vast differences. Until recently, the general population was unaware that another hepatitis virus acts as a silent killer. Unlike hepatitis A or B, hepatitis C is a relatively new disease that can go unnoticed until it is too late. The virus was initially named non-A, non-B hepatitis because the virus was identified through numerous blood tests in the 1960s and 1970s (“Hepatitis C History”). The virus was given the name hepatitis C in the 1980s when the Center for Disease Control was able to identify the virus (“Hepatitis C FAQ”). It was identified that the virus enters the human body by entering through blood or bodily fluids and nestles in its permanent home of the liver. This virus is a highly infectious bloodborne pathogen that can cause cirrhosis of the liver and in some cases turn into liver cancer. At this time, there is no cure once the virus has been transmitted. Even though the transmission rate is low, the first step in attacking the virus is to educate people on

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