One in five would die from hepatitis C

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One in five would die from hepatitis C
One in five would die from hepatitis C
Anonim

Ignorance of the hepatitis C disease is the reason why every fifth (22%) admits that they would leave a colleague whom they know is infected with hepatitis C. These data were disclosed in the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce, which is conducted a survey on the level of awareness of employers and employees in the economy about the hepatitis C disease, as well as their willingness to actively participate in the activities of prevention and treatment of the disease.

The results of the survey also show that half of the respondents (49%) are not informed about the disease, as they are convinced that there is a vaccine against hepatitis C. Less than a third (29%) of them are aware that such does not exist, and 22% of the survey participants are not informed on this issue. A large part of the respondents (42%) do not differentiate between hepatitis C and hepatitis A (jaundice). Only a little over a third of respondents (41%) are aware that hepatitis C is asymptomatic in 85% of cases, it is even popular as the "silent killer".

45% of workers have never been tested for hepatitis C, and another 26% have done so more than a year ago. Only 6% of employees have been tested in the last year, and one in five (23%) does not remember or does not know if they have ever been tested.

The study was conducted in the period 7-20 January 2015 through an online survey containing standardized and semi-standardized questions. 414 people were covered, mainly specialists and managers of enterprises from the entire spectrum of the economy and all regions of the country. The overwhelming number of survey participants are in the active age group of 20 to 59.

Respondents admit that they would get tested if their employer provided them with free tests for this. In this regard, it is no coincidence that according to 80% of the respondents, taking care of the employees' he alth, including the coverage of specific laboratory tests and the prevention of serious diseases, is the main motivating factor for retaining highly qualified personnel.

Hepatitis C is an infection that mainly affects the liver and is transmitted through blood. 170 million people in the world have chronic hepatitis C. It is assumed that in Bulgaria about 110,000 people are carriers of hepatitis C, and only 10% of them know about their disease and are treated. 92% of patients are of active working age. The disease is hidden and therefore patients do not understand that they have had hepatitis. 15-20 years after infection, about 30% of people develop liver cancer.

Silvana Lesidrenska, chairwoman of the Association for the fight against hepatitis "HepActiv", commented on the topic as follows: "I am very glad that I can speak about these issues, because I have had experience with hepatitis since 2006. It is a serious cause of discrimination not only in the workplace but also everywhere else in public places. I have personally been denied dental services. We have our members who are out of work because they are sick. This is a big problem, there is little knowledge about this disease, there is a huge stigma in society. The therapy is quite long, with severe side effects. There are people who refuse to be treated so that their workplace won't find out, they refuse to take sick leave because it will still be known about their illness. There is a woman from Varna who was fired during her treatment, even though she went to work every day, and that takes a lot of effort, believe me.

This is a disease that is transmitted through blood, there is no way to get infected in your daily household contacts with a sick person. Unfortunately, the lack of symptoms, as well as the prejudices spreading in society, contribute to the fact that Bulgarians do not get tested for hepatitis C en masse. I hope that the he alth system commits itself to the creation of a national program for prevention and awareness about the ways of infection and hepatitis C treatment.”

Prof. Konstantin Chernev, head of the Internal Medicine Clinic of Sofiamed University Hospital:

It is now possible to cure the infection in 3 months

“Since 1991, we have had the first tests to prove hepatitis C. In Europe and North America, the incidence is between 0.5 and 3%. We have little data in our country, but it is assumed that about 1.5% of Bulgarians are affected by hepatitis C. The incidence rate is very high in Africa, North America, and Egypt. Every fifth Egyptian is infected - there are between 8 and 10 million patients.

In countries with a high standard, infection is done by injecting drugs, piercing, manicure, tattooing. In other countries, through pricking with infected needles, blood transfusions, hemodialysis, incorrect medical manipulations, transplants. The frequency of infection in the family is very low, unlike hepatitis B. Hepatitis C is difficult to transmit with nail clippers, combs, razors, etc. The infection is also difficult to transmit from a pregnant mother to the baby, as well as during constant sexual contact with one partner, unlike hepatitis B, where this is a common phenomenon.

Only 10% of those infected make it to infectious disease clinics. The infection is hidden, the same applies to hepatitis B. But with it, 90% recover, 10% become chronic. While with hepatitis C - 80% become chronic, and 20% recover. Hepatitis B is more difficult to treat because we do not have effective medications, we keep the disease under control, but we cannot remove the virus from the patient's body. With hepatitis C, this is already possible. We will fight for the NHIF to start covering the new treatment, with which it is now possible to cure hepatitis C in 3 months. The new medicines work fantastically. They were approved in the USA only at the beginning of this year, stated one of the leading specialists in this field, Prof. Chernev.

From myths to facts:

Myth 1: Hepatitis C is not that dangerous, much more talked about diseases like HIV.

Fact: In Europe and the US, hepatitis C has killed more people than HIV. In 2010, more than 10 times more deaths from viral hepatitis were recorded in the EU than from HIV.

Myth 2: I have been vaccinated against hepatitis A and B, therefore I cannot get hepatitis C.

Fact: There are several forms of hepatitis that differ from each other in terms of prevention, course, transmission and treatment. The three most common types are hepatitis C, B and A, for the first type no vaccine has been found.

Myth 3: Hepatitis C is a sexually transmitted infection.

Fact: Hepatitis C virus is transmitted through blood. The risk of sexual transmission is small, but it still exists. Hepatitis B is transmitted through bodily fluids, such as blood or semen, and is most commonly spread through sexual contact.

Myth 4: One can get hepatitis C after consuming contaminated food or drink.

Fact: Hepatitis C is transmitted through blood. Transmission of hepatitis A can occur after consumption of contaminated food or drink, because the disease is transmitted through the fecal-oral route.

Myth 5: A colleague was recently diagnosed with hepatitis C. I am worried that I may have been infected.

Fact: Hepatitis C is not spread by sneezing, coughing, food or water, hugging, shaking hands or holding hands.

Myth 6: Last year an acquaintance of mine received a blood transfusion - could he have contracted hepatitis C?

Fact: Since 1992, tests for hepatitis C have been carried out in Bulgaria during blood transfusions, other blood products or organ transplants, and such procedures can now be considered relatively safe.

Myth 7: I look and feel he althy, there is no way I could be affected by a serious disease like hepatitis C.

Fact: Symptoms of chronic hepatitis C can develop over 30 years. Only one in five people have symptoms in the first 6 months after infection. Symptoms can be: fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, stomach pain, nausea and jaundice. The only way to detect the disease is a special blood test.

Myth 8: I have been treated for hepatitis C and there is no reason to worry about getting it again.

Fact: Even if patients have been successfully treated for hepatitis C, there is a chance of re-infection. It is important to be aware of the risks of re-infection and to know how to avoid it.

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