Human Hepatitis C Virus

Human Hepatitis C
In 2013, there were an estimated 29,718 cases of acute hepatitis C virus infections reported in the United States. There were 3.5 million people who were reported to have chronic hepatitis C. Acute hepatitis C is a short-term illness that occurs within the first six months after someone is exposed to the hepatitis C virus. Chronic hepatitis C means the virus remains in the person’s body. Hepatitis C can last a lifetime and lead to cirrhosis or scarring of the liver or liver cancer.
Hepatitis C is spread when blood from a person infected with the hepatitis C virus enters the body of someone who is not infected. Today, most people are infected with hepatitis C by sharing needles, syringes, or other drug injection equipment.
People may also be infected with hepatitis C by needle stick injuries in a health care setting, or by being born to a mother that is infected with the hepatitis C virus. Less common modes of transmission of the hepatitis C virus include sharing personal care items that have come into contact with blood of an infected individual such as razors or toothbrushes, and having sex with a person infected with the hepatitis C virus. The hepatitis C virus can live outside the body at room temperature for up to three weeks. The hepatitis C virus in not spread by sharing eating utensils, breastfeeding, hugging, kissing, holding hands, coughing, or sneezing. It is also not spread through food or water.
Approximately 70% to 80% of the people with acute hepatitis C do not have symptoms.
However, some people have mild to severe symptoms soon after being infected. Those symptoms include: fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dark urine, clay colored bowel movements, joint pain, and jaundice. If symptoms occur due to hepatitis C infection, the average time is six to seven weeks after exposure, although symptoms may also range from two weeks to six months after exposure to the hepatitis C virus. Of every 100 people infected with the hepatitis C virus:
• 75 to 80 people will develop chronic hepatitis C
• 60 to 70 people will go on to develop chronic liver disease
• 5 – 20 people will go on to develop cirrhosis of the liver over a period of 20 to 30 years
• 1-5 people will die from cirrhosis of the liver or liver
cancer
Just like other forms of hepatitis, hepatitis C is detected through one or a combination of blood tests to screen for antibodies. If the test shows a positive result for antibodies, the person has been infected with the hepatitis C virus. A second test might be ordered to see if the virus is still present in the body. If the virus is still present, the chances of the individual having chronic hepatitis C are elevated. Hepatitis C does not have a vaccine to prevent it as in hepatitis A or hepatitis B. There are however, medications to aid in the treatment of hepatitis C.
Human Hepatitis In The Salon
To date, there are no documented cases of hepatitis infections associated with salon services. Just like HIV, hepatitis B and C are blood borne pathogens. As such, they can only infect an individual if it enters his/her bloodstream. The risk of human hepatitis being transmitted in the salon is low, just like HIV, but again probable under the right circumstances. While salon services can ultimately lead to a blood spill, most often they do not. However, as mentioned earlier, if a stylist were to accidentally cut their client who was infected with hepatitis B or C and then the clients blood was to enter the stylist bloodstream through an open wound, the chance of the stylist being infected with hepatitis B or C could exist. Again, universal precautions, proper sanitation and disinfection procedures, and following OSHA prescribed blood spill procedures will be your best defense from being infected with HBV.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
There are many staph infections in the world today. These staph infections include furuncles, boils, pustules, and a more severe staph infection called methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, better known as MRSA. MRSA is a type of bacteria that is resistant to several types of antibiotics. In the salon, MRSA can cause skin and other infections. In a healthcare setting, it can cause septicemia and other blood conditions, pneumonia, and surgical site infections. Anyone can get MRSA through direct contact with an infected wound or by sharing personal items that have come into contact with the wound.
Places that lead to overcrowding are ideal environments that can increase the risk of being infected with MRSA. Studies show that one in three people carry staph in their nose usually without illness. Two in one hundred (100) people carry MRSA. To prevent MRSA, the steps below must be observed:
• Maintain good hand and body hygiene. Wash hands often and clean body regularly
• Keep cuts, scrapes, and wounds clean and covered until they heal
• Avoid sharing personal items
• Get medical attention early if you think you have a MRSA infection Most staph skin infections including MRSA appear as a bump or infected area on the skin that might be red, swollen, and painful, warm to the touch, full of pus or drainage, and is accompanied by fever. You cannot tell by looking if you have MRSA. If you suspect you have MRSA seek medical attention promptly. To prevent MRSA from spreading, take the following steps:
• Cover your wounds until healed; pus from infected wounds can contain MRSA
• Clean your hands often especially after changing the bandage. Use hand sanitizer often
• Do not share personal
items
• Wash used sheets, towels, and clothes with laundry detergent and dry completely with a clothes dryer MRSA can only be diagnosed and treated by a medical professional. Treatment will usually consist of draining the infection, but in some cases antibiotics may be prescribed.