Intravenous Drugs Advantages And Disadvantages

You have to know the way hepatitis is spreaded between people. It is spreaded out by blood. That means if you have hepatitis, people who come into contact with your blood are at high risk of infection with hepatitis. So you should reduce your risk of getting injured and if you have any wound, make sure that no one touches it.

The most common way the blood-borne pathogen is passed on is through sexual contact with an affected person, which accounts for roughly two-thirds of all Acute Hepatitis B cases. In addition, it is common for Hepatitis B to be spread through the use of dirty needles for acupuncture, drugs, or tattoos. Other less common ways include the sharing of razors or toothbrushes, cosmetic surgery, or birth (when the disease is transmitted from an infected mother to her child). A person can not be infected by sharing utensils, kissing, holding hands, coughing, or sneezing.2 Hepatitis B is also one of the most easily transmissible viruses for workers in health care settings. If a worker interacts with a HBV patient and does not use caution with open wounds or contaminated needles, there is an increased risk for contracting the

This research paper is going to review today’s silent killer, the Hepatitis C virus. This paper will talk about the description of the disease, the signs and symptoms, the etiology and risk factors, diagnostic studies, treatments and prognosis of this disease. I had lived with this disease for over ten years before diagnosed so it is important to understand the signs and symptoms so the disease can be identified and a treatment plan can be identified as the sooner it is treated the more likely it will eradicate the disease.

Sharing of needles used by injection drug users contributes heavily to the spread of blood-borne diseases, accounting for almost one third of new HIV infections outside sub-Saharan Africa (Ball, 2007). Various studies support that blood-borne disease transmission and contraction are strongly linked to injection drug use. A study conducted by Semaan et al. that analyzed data of 10,301 persons who inject drugs in revealed that 32% had shared syringes during the 12 months prior (Semaan et al., 2011). A second study involving 309 injection drug users found HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C prevalence of 42.4%, 80.9%, and 74.1%, respectively. The study also revealed that 63.8% of the participants engaged in indirect sharing practices within six months prior.

Intravenous drug users are some of the individuals most susceptible for contracting and transmitting blood-borne diseases such as the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B and hepatitis C. In Canada, there was an estimated 71,300 cases of HIV at the end of 2011 with an incidence of approximately 2,250 to 4,100 cases. IDUs account for 13.7% of Canadians living with HIV. Prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HVC) is currently

Given the alarming rise in rates of prescription-opioid abuse and the relationship to heroin abuse, many communities are beginning to explore various ways to mitigate their effects. Various proactive approaches, such as needle exchanges have proven effective in reducing the incidences of HCV and

Hepatitis C used to affect minorities in urban areas. In June 2015, an epidemic has occurred in rural Appalachia among 18-24 year old white drug users. The sharing of needles contribute to the outbreak. In parts of Indiana, 25% of the population live in poverty, making treatment options unattainable (Galofarno

The use of contaminated needles can also transmit HIV. “The risk of HIV transmission needs to be addressed in two very different populations—healthcare workers and

The increasing number of citizens that are testing positive for Hepatitis C is shocking and the epidemic is just getting worse. One out of every one hundred people in the general population has Hepatitis C, but the ratio is higher in prisons. One out of every six inmates has Hepatitis C (Wegner, Rottnek, Parker and Crippin, 2014). Hepatitis C (HCV) is a blood disease that is caused by a virus and it affects the liver. Unfortunately there is no vaccine to prevent this disease and I have seen first-hand how ugly this virus is. I have worked in the medical field for the past 6 years and I have a very close friend who contracted HCV. Unfortunately, she was one of the many people that needed a liver transplant. HCV has infected four times as

A deficiency in adherence to basic infection control guidelines that prohibit the reuse of needles, syringes, and IV tubing is evidenced by the incidence of outbreaks of healthcare-associated infections (HIAs) that still continue to occur. Most of these deficiencies occur outside of hospital settings. Since 1999, the CDC has reported over 30 outbreaks of viral hepatitis and other HIAs which have required notification of 125,000 Americans of their possible exposure to infectious disease. Of that 125,000 people, 448 people actually became infected with HBV or HCV. In 2001, a private physician’s office in New York was responsible for placing 2,192 patients at risk with unsafe injections involving reused syringes and medication vials and resulted in 19 cases of HCV infections. In Oklahoma, an outpatient pain clinic infected 31 patients with Hepatitis B and 71 with Hepatitis C in 2002 which required notification of 908 patients of their potential exposure. In this particular Oklahoma outbreak, a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) was reported to have routinely prepared a needle and syringe for

If someone is getting tested for Hepatitis C, they will first take an antibody test. This test will detect if antibodies are present in the blood, which will tell if the person has ever had Hepatitis C, not if they currently possess it (“Who Should”). If the antibody test comes back positive, a qualitative test will then be run. This test declares tells if someone is currently infected with Hepatitis C. A quantitative test can also be run, which shows the amount of Hepatitis C that is in the blood (“Who Should”). There are two main medications that are used to treat Hepatitis C. The first being Pegylated Interferon and another being Ribavirin. Both medications are used for the treatment of adult patients with chronic liver disease (FDA). These medications are used in place of the vaccine that has not been created for Hepatitis C. Therefore, Hepatitis C can be detected easily and is treatable.

There are a number of individuals who may be suffering from an illness and not even be aware they have an illness. One example of such illness is Hepatitis C (HCV). Hepatitis C is a severe disease of the liver. It is caused by the Hepatitis C virus (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2015). As a result, Hepatitis C has been termed a silent epidemic (CDC, 2015). This is because a lot of individuals have Hepatitis C and don’t even realize they have the infection (CDC, 2015). As the infection begins to progress over time, it could cause acute issues to the liver (CDC, 2015). Those issues could be things like damage to the liver, the liver could fail to function, cirrhosis, or even cancer of the liver (CDC, 2015). However, screening for Hepatitis C will allow an individual to benefit from treatments that are available, hence eliminating the disease from the body and preventing the liver from undergoing any further damage (CDC, 2015).

Transmission: air Bourne droplets or by direct contact with the saliva of an infected person

Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver. There are currently five known viruses that cause can hepatitis (Microbiology, 10e). The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is transmitted through contact with the blood of an infected person; however, it is now more commonly spread among IV drug users that share needles. Healthcare workers are also at risk for contracting HCV, but with standard precautions, the risk is low. “Prior to 1992, some people acquired the HCV infection from transfusions of blood or blood products. Since 1992, all blood products have been screened for HCV, and cases of HCV due to blood transfusion now are extremely rare. HCV can be passed from mother to unborn child. Approximately 4 out of every 100 infants born to HCV-positive mothers

According to Cohen and Gish the HCV virus can live outside the body for three to four hours and is not easily killed with chlorine bleach. Therefore, other means of transmission are shared personal grooming items such as razors, toothbrushes, scissors and manicuring equipment, which may carry blood residue.