Half of people with hep C don’t complete vital tests

NEWS

May 9th, 2013

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Just half of Americans who have tested positive forhepatitis C received the necessary follow-up to determine if they are still infected, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported this week.

About 20% of people clear hep C infection on their own, but the rest remain infected and can develop major health problems.

A screening test shows if a person has ever been infected by the virus that usually spreads throughcontact with infected blood. If that antibody test ispositive, a follow-up determines if the person is still infected and needs medical treatment.

“Many people who test positive on an initial hepatitis C test are not receiving the necessary follow-up test to know if their body has cleared the virus or if they are still infected,” said Dr Tom Frieden, director of the CDC. “Complete testing is critical to ensure that those who are infected receive the care and treatment for hepatitis C that they need in order to prevent liver cancer and other serious and potentially deadly health consequences.”

About 3.2 million people in the U.S. have hepatitis C, and many do not know they are infected. The CDC recently issued a recommendation that people born from 1945 to 1965 get tested, as they estimate as many as 75% of infected adults were born in this period.

Repeating the call for baby boomers to get tested for hepatitis C, Dr Frieden said: “You may not remember everything that happened in the ’60s and ’70s, but your liver does. The bottom line here is if you’re born between those years, get tested.”

Don’t forget, May is Hepatitis Awareness Month and May 19 is National Hepatitis Testing Day.

Hepatitis C and shady tattooists

We’ve recently discussed the need to be careful when choosing a tattoo artist because of the risk of transmission of diseases such as hepatitis C. This article in the West Australian highlights the need for caution when choosing a tattooist and shows first-hand the pitfalls that exist for those looking to adorn their bodies with ink.

The piece highlights an increase in backyard tattooists causing a health issue in Western Australia by operating without the correct licensesand using cheap or incorrect equipment that may harm the person receiving the tattoo. There are also fears that these artists may be less scrupulous in checking that the people they’re tattooing are legally old enough to receive a tattoo.  The consequence is that youngsters who may not be able to give informed consent to receiving a tattoo may be exposed to serious diseases like hep C.

It’s important always to ask for credentials when visiting a tattoo parlour to ensure the establishment you are using is reputable and using up-to-date and clean equipment. Poor quality tattooing equipment may injure the recipient and require painful and costly follow-up work to correct mistakes, or medical attention to treat infections or diseases. Choose a tattoo parlour which comes recommended and ask around to ensure no one in your social circle has had a bad experience there.

It’s also a good idea to seek medical advice if you’re thinking about getting a tattoo. Your doctor can give you all the facts and answer questions about the risks of transmission of diseases, such as hepatitis C.

Photo by Micael Faccio

May is Hepatitis Awareness Month

May is Hepatitis Awareness Month

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) sent this bulletin at 05/07/2013 02:09 PM EDT

Viral Hepatitis Updates from CDC May is Hepatitis Awareness Month

Vital Signs – Hepatitis CToday, and in conjunction with Hepatitis Awareness Month, CDC released a new study in Vital Signs on hepatitis C testing and reporting. The report data, pulled from eight hepatitis C surveillance sites across the country, show that only half (51 percent) of those identified with an initial positive hepatitis C antibody test are receiving appropriate follow-up testing to determine if they are still infected. Without a follow-up test, a person will not know if they are currently infected with the hepatitis C virus. 

The results also further underscore the severe impact of hepatitis C among baby boomers (born from 1945 through 1965). Baby boomers accounted for 67 percent of all reported hepatitis C cases and 72 percent of all reported deaths among people with hepatitis C.

•  MMWR: Vital Signs: Evaluation of Hepatitis C Virus Infection Testing and Reporting - Eight U.S. Sites, 2005–2011http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm62e0507a1.htm
  
• MMWR: Fact sheet: Hepatitis C: Testing Baby Boomers Saves Lives
  http://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/hepatitisc/

MMWR: Testing for HCV infection: An update of guidance for clinicians and laboratorians. 
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm62e0507a2.htm

• Recommended Testing Sequence for Identifying Current Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Infectionhttp://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/HCV/PDFs/hcv_flow.pdf 
• Interpretation of Results of Tests for Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Infection and Further Actionshttp://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/HCV/PDFs/hcv_graph.pdf