Hepatitis C education important

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By Judy Kelley (Your Health, Your Community)

One of the most challenging yet exciting aspects of my job as a public health nurse is having the opportunity to educate the community about hepatitis C.

I have come to learn that there are some common misconceptions about hepatitis C.

An estimated 250,000 Canadians have hepatitis C, but many don't know it. Hepatitis C can be silent in your body and you can have it for decades without having any symptoms. Approximately one in five people who are infected with hepatitis C is not aware they are infected and may unknowingly spread the disease to others.

The hepatitis C virus lives in the blood and can survive on surfaces for three days or longer. The majority of people contract the virus through injection drug use by sharing needles, spoons/cookers, rinse water and other gear that has been contaminated with hepatitis C infected blood. People will usually become infected within the first three years of drug use.

It can also be spread from sharing other items that may have microscopic amounts of blood on them, such as straws for snorting drugs, crack pipes, toothbrushes, razors, needles, nail clippers, tattoo guns and ink.

Prior to 1990, the Canadian blood system did not test blood for hepatitis C and some people were infected through blood transfusion. Blood transfusions are now screened and considered safe from hepatitis C.

It should be stressed that hepatitis C is spread through blood-to-blood contact and it cannot be spread through casual contact like handshakes, hugs and sharing eating utensils (used for eating, not injection drug use).

Many people get mixed up about the three most common types of viral hepatitis (hepatitis A, B and C). They may think they are protected from all hepatitis viruses by getting a Twinrix vaccine (hepatitis A and B vaccine). While the Twinrix vaccine is safe and effective in preventing hepatitis A and B, it does not offer any protection against hepatitis C.

The hepatitis C virus is like the common cold in that it replicates and changes so much that the body can never be immune to it. That being said, there is hope that a hepatitis C vaccine will someday be available.

Tattoos and multiple piercings are risk factors for hepatitis C. As a result, public health has partnered with HepNS to deliver safer tattooing and piercing messages (Hip not Hep) to the Grade 9 students within the Cape Breton-Victoria Regional School Board. Students are given information of the associated risks of tattoos and piercings and are encouraged to make informed decisions about their health.

Getting tested is the only way to find out if you have hepatitis C or not. It is a leading cause of cirrhosis, liver cancer and can lead to liver transplant. New treatments are available that can cure hepatitis C, prevent further liver damage and improve health outcomes for people infected.

Cape Breton has higher rates of hepatitis C than other parts of the province. This is due to many variables which are compounded by poverty, food and housing issues.

The most important thing to remember is if you have ever engaged in a high risk activity, even if it was only once and a longtime ago, consider getting tested for hepatitis C.



Organizations: Cape Breton-Victoria Regional School Board, Cape Breton District Health Authority

Geographic location: Cape Breton

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