Members of the Infectious Disease Committee of the SOGC This
document is sponsored by the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
of Canada.
Funding for the development and distribution of these guidelines was provided
by the Hepatitis C Division, Health Canada.
Table IV lists sources of acquisition of HCV identified by the World Health
Organization.8 It is important to remember that immigrants may have encountered
either unusual or exposureprone procedures with a higher risk prior to
arriving in Canada.
Tests for HCV became commercially available for use in 1990, facilitating
the demonstration of hepatitis C transmission routes.57 These routes are
similar to those for other bloodborne pathogens such as hepatitis B virus
(HBV) and HIV, although the frequencies differ.
5025_149
http://www.state.fl.us/dbpr/hr/forms/25/5025_149.pdf Hepatitis A is a serious liver disease caused by a virus.
Symptoms may include fatigue, poor appetite, fever and vomiting.
A person spreads the virus as much as a week prior to showing any symptoms
and will continue to spread the virus up to the time of jaundice.
The easiest way to prevent the spread of this disease is for you to remember
to carefully wash your hands after using the toilet.
Not only will this protect against the spread of hepatitis A, it will
also help prevent the spread of other infections.
The virus can be carried on an infected person's hands and be spread by
direct contact or consuming food or drink handled by that person.
8885
Hepatitis is a general term used to describe infection or inflammation
of the liver.
Hepatitis B infection is caused by infection of the liver with the hepatitis
B virus.
Up to 90% of infants (or nine in ten) infected with hepatitis B virus
at birth may become carriers.
Up to a quarter of people who are carriers of hepatitis B develop chronic
hepatitis B infection.
This fact sheet may be reproduced in full, providing the source is acknowledged,
but may not be reproduced in part without prior permission of Queensland
Health.
The real number of persons with acute hepatitis B infection is more than
the number reported from a positive blood test.
hep final
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has identified California
as one of 11 states classified as "very high rate states" for
hepatitis A (defined as an average annual prevalence of 20 cases per 100,000
or higher) for the 1987--97 period.
Rates are provided for each county separately.
Overall, the 4.2 million Latinos in Los Angeles County represented 44.6%
of the county's total population.
The Latino population, however, is more highly represented in the younger
age groups.
An additional, albeit hidden, cost for Latino children with hepatitis
A is that caused by days of school lost.
Using an average of 27 days of recuperation per case (CDC, 1999:4), Latino
children in the five-county target area lost an aggregate of 110,538 school
days.
hcvidu_edlin
The rates of morbidity and mortality from HCV infection are
increasing, and this trend is expected to continue in the coming decades.1
Treatment with interferon, with or without ribavirin, for 6 to 12 months
results in viral clearance in up to 40 percent of patients and histologic
improvement, possibly, in more.3 Side effects of this regimen, however,
include depression, emotional lability, and hemolytic anemia.
Published guidelines provide little explanation for the current policy.7-9
We are unaware of studies that have reported results of attempts to treat
HCV infection in active drug users.
Presented in part at the 10th International Symposium on Viral Hepatitis
and Liver Disease, Atlanta, April 9--13, 2000.
hep c 02 8-02
http://www.dhs.cahwnet.gov/ps/dcdc/disb/pdf/hep c 02 8-02.pdf Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis C virus
(HCV), which is found in the blood of persons who have this infection.
The infection is spread by contact with the blood or body secretions of
an infected person.
Additional tests may be needed to confirm your diagnosis, to see if you
have liver damage, and for consideration of treatment.
Many persons with long-term hepatitis C have no symptoms and feel well,
but should still see their doctor for evaluation and follow-up.
For some persons, the most common symptom is extreme tiredness.
If you have one long-term, steady partner, there is a small chance
of transmitting HCV to that partner.
fs37
Hepatitis B is a virus that can cause serious or even fatal
damage to the liver.
The vaccine is perfectly safe for people with HIV to take, although compared
with uninfected people, a higher proportion of HIV-positive people may
not develop protective immunity against hepatitis B following vaccination
(especially if they have low CD4 counts), and those who are successfully
immunised may be more likely to lose their immunity over time.
Studies of hepatitis B infection in gay men, injecting drug users and
people with haemophilia have shown that hepatitis B infection does not
hasten HIV disease progression or severity.
The word hepatitis means inflammation of the liver, and it can be caused
by drugs and other diseases, as well as viruses.
vis-hep-a
Hepatitis A is a serious liver disease caused by the hepatitis
A virus (HAV).
A person who has hepatitis A can easily pass the disease to others within
the same household.
Hepatitis A vaccine can prevent hepatitis A.
· Persons who live in communities with high rates of hepatitis A:
for example, American Indian, Alaska Native, and Pacific Islander communities
and some religious communities.
People who have ever had a serious allergic reaction to a previous dose
of hepatitis A vaccine should not get another dose.
People with moderate or severe illnesses should usually wait until they
recover.
Your doctor or nurse can advise you.
The risk of hepatitis A vaccine causing serious harm, or death, is extremely
small.
hep a
Infection with one type of hepatitis virus does NOT give protection
against infection with other hepatitis viruses.
· Illness usually lasts approximately 1--3 weeks (although some symptoms
can last several months) and is almost always followed by complete recovery.
Vaccination is recommended for the following groups of people: ·travellers
to countries (most developing countries) where hepatitis A is common ·frequent
visitors to rural and remote indigenous communities ·men who have
with men ·child day-care and pre-school personnel ·the intellectually
disabled and their carers ·some health care workers who work in or
with indigenous communities ·sewerage workers ·plumbers ·injecting
drug users ·patients with chronic liver disease ·people with
haemophilia who may receive pooled plasma concentrates.
fshepa
It can take from 15 to 50 days to get sick after being exposed
to the hepatitis A virus.
The symptoms depend on the person's age.
The virus is most likely to be spread when people do not wash their hands
after using the toilet or changing a diaper or soiled sheets, then touch
their own mouths, prepare food for others, or touch others with their
contaminated hands.
This spreads the disease from person to person.
You plan to travel to or work in a country with high rates of hepatitis
A (Mexico; all Central and South American countries; all African, Caribbean
and Asian countries except Japan; and the countries of southern and eastern
Europe).
