11 million Egyptians suffer from Hepatitis C, the highest rate in the world.
With 11 million Hepatitis C sufferers in Egypt, the virus is easily prevented, yet easily transmitted as well. So here are simple and easy to follow tips from the experts on how to prevent infection.
The ministry of health has announced last month that 11 million Egyptians suffer from Hepatitis C, the highest rate in the world.
The report added that the numbers are on the rise, increasing by 150 thousand cases annually. Physician and Director of the Medical Services Department at the American University in Cairo, Dr. Mohamed Amin, talks to Egypt Today on why the virus might be so widespread, and how to prevent infection.
Hepatitis C is only transmitted through direct blood contact, be it infected injections, infections transmitted through surgery or dental procedures using unsterilized equipment or a cut touching the blood of an infected person.
In Egypt, the major cause for the high rate of the liver-damaging viral infection seems to be a result of hygienic negligence at medical and dental facilities.
Amin explains that the many physicians and nurses fail to follow the correct hygienic guidelines to ensure the viruses aren’t transmitted from one patient, or doctor, to the other.
“The wounds [are] not cleaned properly, the injections are not cleaned,” says Amin.
“Infection control is not very well developed in Egypt.”
With disposable injections, Amin believes it shouldn’t be acceptable for people to be infected through injections at this day and age.
Prevention
* The best thing you can do to protect yourself and others is to question your medical practices. Ask your doctor or dentist if preventative methods for hepatitis C have been taken and watch to see if the equipment at your dentist or doctor is properly sterilized after each use.
* Ask if blood used for transfusions has been infection controlled, even if the situation was urgent and the transfusion needed to be done quickly.
* You can ask for oral alternatives to injections to minimize the risks.
* When taking an injection, don’t be shy to ask your nurse to open the new syringe in front of you to make sure it is, in fact, new and just opened.
* Ask you dentist, doctor or even nurse administering a medicine to wear new latex gloves before handling you so that the gloves aren’t used to several patients.
* When getting manicures and pedicures, always use your own tools. If you can’t, then make sure the tools used on you are properly sterilized. Manicures and pedicures can easily transfer Hepatitis C through small cuts that one might not necessarily pay attention to.
* Small cuts and wounds are also common causes of the virus infection; so make sure all cuts are firmly and cleanly dresses.
* Never use anyone else’s shaving kit and minimize greeting others with kisses as two shaving wounds might transfer the disease.
* Never use anyone’s brush, if you or the other person suffer gum disease it is likely t he brush has small amounts of blood that might transfer Hepatitis C.
* To prevent others from catching diseases, ensure the syringes and gloves used on you are properly disposed of.
* Beware of tattoo and piercing parlors as they are also common causes
* Be careful with diabetes tests and use your machine at home
* Using drugs like heroine or injected cocaine are also among the most common ways the virus is transmitted as needles used are often contaminated
Amin adds that while Hepatitis C can’t be transferred from drinking infected water, the widespread of the virus may have to “do with the water in Egypt, it makes you weaker, more prone to infection” suspects Amin.
“Water filters are a simple and effective way to avoid other infections transferred through water, which may make the immune system weaker and more prone to catching hepatitis C.”
Early Signs
If you have been exposed to needles, open cuts or any other direct blood contact where infection could be present, please go to your doctor to be tested, Amin advises.
You should not wait for symptoms to develop before getting tested as “most symptoms develop late [and] it could be a long time before the infection is active.”
- Fatigue
- Stomach pains or nausea
- Joint pains
- Loss of appetite
- High fever
- Shortness of breath
- Itchy skin
- Yellowing of the skin or eyes
- Dark urine
“Hepatitis C is a very treatable disease,” says Amin. “It just needs to be discovered first.”
Source: http://www.egypttoday.com/article/artId ... 4/catId:35
11 million Egyptians suffer from Hepatitis C
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Re: 11 million Egyptians suffer from Hepatitis C
''Never use anyone else's shaving kit and minimize greeting others with kisses as two shaving wounds may transfer disease''? I've seen a few hairy women, but not many that had to shave.
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Re: 11 million Egyptians suffer from Hepatitis C
If this stat is a recently known stat the World Health Organization (WHO) would step in offering education to medical providers.
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