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Hepatitis C And Its Effects On Africa And Central And East Asia

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Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV), which can cause both acute and chronic hepatitis infection, which are the two major types of hepatitis C. Ranging in seriousness from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a major illness that can last a lifetime, hepatitis c often leads to inflammation of the liver. It is a problem in the United States and worldwide, mostly affecting Africa and Central and East Asia. HCV is responsible for 500,000 liver related deaths each year, is the most common bloodborne pathogen, and is a leading cause of liver transplantation. More than 4 million people in the Unites States are infected and most are not even aware of their diagnosis. Also, death due to HCV infection is the most …show more content…

Genotype 1 is the most common type of Hepatitis C genotype in the United States and the most difficult to treat. Knowing the genotype of Hepatitis C is helpful in making a therapeutic recommendation. Individuals with genotypes 2 and 3 are almost three times more likely than individuals with genotype 1 to respond to therapy with alpha interferon or the combination of alpha interferon and ribavirin. Furthermore, when using combination therapy, the recommended duration of treatment depends on the genotype. For this reason, testing for Hepatitis C genotype is often clinically helpful. Once the genotype is identified, it need not be tested again as genotypes do not change during the course of infection.

Although there are many ways hepatitis C is transmitted, one cannot get hepatitis C from common contact such as kissing, hugging, coughing, sneezing, or by sharing food and water. But it is possible to get hepatitis C if you come into contact with the blood of someone who has hepatitis C. Contracting hepatitis C through blood transfusions and organ transplants used to be a common way someone could get infected before the early 90s, but now all donated blood and organs are screened for hepatitis C to prevent such a tragedy. Today, it is rare to get hepatitis C that way. Another rare way one can contact hepatitis C is by being born to a hepatitis C infected mother, or a health care

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