More Homework about Hepatitis C please Dan and Jennifer!

[PSPam]

Hello. I just finished reading your story at Should I Really Be Worried About STDs? (Video)

Please do a bit more homework before posting articles that are not completely based in fact and might *scare or unnerve others* that are already stigmatized by Hepatitis C and trying to educate their partners that Hepatitis C is NOT a sexually transmitted disease - because it is NOT. Hepatitis C is only transmitted BLOOD TO BLOOD.

While theoretically possible to get Hepatitis C during sex, there would have to be a blood to blood transmission of some sort involved. You alluded to this in your story but you certainly didn't make it very clear. Hepatitis B can be transmitted sexually but Hepatitis C requires a BLOOD TO BLOOD transmission. If a woman is having her period and a man has a cut on his penis that would be a blood to blood transmission. There is evidence that many people who are coinfected with HIV (especially MSM's) are transmitting HCV but it is thought that the anal tears are causing the blood to blood transmission. There are studies on couples who have been married for 30-40 plus years with only one partner being infected by HCV. Hepatitis C is already incorrectly stigmatized as a drug users and alcoholics disease. People with Hepatitis C are desperately trying to educate others that they can't get it from them by kissing, sneezing, coughing, hugging, eating or drinking after someone and they can't get it from SEX if there is not a blood involvement.

This site looks like it has some WONDERFUL information and I do hope that the younger people are paying attention. I have often wondered in this day and age of more diseases why blood tests are no longer required for marriage when *back in my day* of less known diseases we had to have blood tests prior to marriage. Be SAFE, be respectful, be cautious, use protection and take care of YOU! No one else will.

Meanwhile I hope you do a little better story about Hepatitis C and the ways it can be transmitted. You are more likely to pick it up at a barbershop or a beauty parlor than you are through sex. Unlike HIV which dies when it hits the air, Hepatitis C can live in the air for about 4 days. If a manicurist nicks the cuticle of a Hep C positive person and draws blood and then uses that same instrument on you 3 days later and nicks you and causes blood - that is a blood to blood transmission.

Get Tested for Hep C! Get Vaccinated for Hepatitis A and B! Also for HPV!

[Dan And Jennifer]

Wow! Hey thanks for the great information.

We try to stay generally educated on a lot of topics which means that we know something about a lot of things but we don't know everything about everything, so we really appreciate when topic experts chime in...

Thanks again!

[fawkse]

i just thought that i would share with all the forum here, that i myself am infected with HCV.
we are unclear how long i have had it, but my son and my fiance have not got it from me.
HCV can be spread thorough sex. it is highly rare that couples infect their parnters unless there is blood shared between eachother. the percentage of this happening is 4%. woman are more prone to being infected by a male than vise versa.
it is more likely that i could infect someone from them using my razor, tooth brush, or them dressing my wounds from an injury. there has to be blood on blood contact.
HCV can live fro up 7 days outside of the body in the right conditions. you have to carefull to make sure that anything that has your blood is not used by another person.
having HCV does make to be a discriminating factor. i have lost a job, becuase i am a high risk.
my fiance's family have made it clear that they believe i am going to infect him, and any of our children. (generally speaking, they don't like me anyway lol)
i am constantly battling the famous symptoms of fatigue and itching. i am low on energy, and my body is bruised becuase i can't control my itching at night.sounds fun huh?
what i find hard to deal with the most is that i am suffering from liver disease. it's a silent killer. many people don't even know they have HCV until later in life.
there is some treatment options available. the cure rate is about 48%, but there is also relapse from the treatment.
many of us that have HCV can not afford the treatment. the costs is so damn high, people like me choose to fight for social security just to try to get medicaid.
if you or a loved on you know has this disease, please try to find out all the real information about HCV as posible. i recomend this book:
"Dr. Palmer's Guide to Hepatitis Liver Disease, What You Need to Know"
by: Melissa Palmer, MD
this book covers all the different types of hepatitis a long with it's treatment and living with. very good reading and sources.
i also want to say that my fiance has been wounderful in loving me and supporting me since we found out i have HCV. at first he was shooken up, but he has never stopped being there for me.

~Fawkse~