gofish Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 http://healthyliving.msn.com/diseases/cancer/test-all-baby-boomers-for-hepatitis-c-cdc-1 Test All Baby Boomers For Hepatitis C: CDC Most people who are infected don't know it, agency noted.By Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter [/url] THURSDAY, Aug. 16 (HealthDay News) -- Every American born between 1945 and 1965 should be tested for the liver-destroying virus hepatitis C, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended Thursday. One in 30 Baby Boomers is infected with the virus and most don't know it. Hepatitis C is a leading cause of liver cancer and other liver diseases, and is the leading cause of liver transplants, the CDC said. "And deaths from hepatitis C have nearly doubled over the past decade," CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden said during an afternoon news conference. "Unless we take action now, deaths will increase substantially in the coming years." Baby boomers are five times more likely to have hepatitis C than other adult Americans, Frieden said. So, the CDC is now recommending one-time testing for hepatitis C for everyone in the country born between 1945 and 1965, he said. All those who test positive for the virus should receive a brief alcohol screening and intervention and be referred to appropriate care and treatment services. Alcohol use has been shown to accelerate the progression of liver disease, the agency added. Until now, the recommendation had been for testing only those at risk. "But that approach missed far too many infections," Frieden explained. These new recommendations take into account that more than 2 million Baby Boomers are infected with hepatitis C, accounting for more than 75 percent of all American adults living with the disease. Many Baby Boomers were infected years ago and don't consider themselves at risk, so they've never been screened, Frieden noted. Hepatitis C is a "silent killer," living in the liver for years while slowly destroying it, Dr. John Ward, director of the division of viral hepatitis at the CDC, said during the news conference. Hepatitis C is spread through organ transplants, injected drug use and once even through blood transfusions and sexual contact, he said. "Testing of Baby Boomers is essential to prevent unnecessary suffering and death from this devastating disease, and to reduce the burden of hepatitis C on our nation's health-care system," Ward said. Each year, more than 15,000 Americans, most of them Baby Boomers, die from hepatitis C-related illness, such as cirrhosis and liver cancer. Deaths from the virus have been increasing for over a decade and are expected to increase in the coming years. Testing Baby Boomers could identify more than 800,000 people with hepatitis C, Frieden said. Identifying these people and linking them up with treatment could cure up to 75 percent of them. "Getting more people with hepatitis C into treatment could avoid 50,000 cases of liver cancer, nearly 200,000 cases of cirrhosis and more than 102,000 deaths," Ward said. Dr. Marc Siegel, an associate professor of medicine at New York University Langone Medical Center in New York City, said he supports the new recommendation. "Hepatitis C is a real killer. It leads to a lot of cirrhosis and liver failure and need for liver transplants. It's a subclinical infection and it's often missed until it's too late," he said. The final recommendations were published in the Aug. 17 issue the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. They were also published online Aug. 17 in the Annals of Internal Medicine. More information For more on hepatitis C, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. SOURCES: Marc Siegel, M.D., associate professor, medicine, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York City; Aug. 16, 2012, news conference with: Thomas Frieden, M.D., M.P.H., director, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and John Ward, M.D., director, division of viral hepatitis, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Aug. 17, 2012, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report Copyright @2012 HealthDay. All Rights Reserved. Quote Link to comment
mommato3boys Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 (edited) GGGGRRRRRRRRRRR We had a scare a few years ago my husband donated blood through the red cross and he got a letter telling him his blood tested positive for Hep C. We paid out of our own pocket for him to be tested through our doctor and it come back negative it even showed he had received the Hep C vaccine (when in college he did a rotation for chaplaincy at a hospital they were required to have the Hep vaccine.) The Red Cross wanted him to come back in and let them test his blood again he told them in no uncertain terms they were not getting near him with a needle that this was their error and they needed to find out whose blood that really was. The Red Cross would not honor our doctor's office test so he has been placed on the DO NOT DONATE list with the RED Cross here in NC. This past February my liver enzymes were off and my doctor was so sure I had Hep C they did a liver profile and ran a Hep test then sent me for an ultra sound of my liver. No Hep C and the ultra sound showed nothing. I tried telling them that I used to work in a hospital and had the Hep C vaccine but they were still positive that I had Hep C. Yes my blood work come back showing I had the Hep vaccine. I personally believe this is the big Pharm companies trying to peddle their pills. Yes I know there are some out there that have Hep C but I do not believe that this is reason enough to throw the scare tactic at us. Edited August 16, 2012 by mommato3boys Quote Link to comment
CrabGrassAcres Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 Their 'treatment' makes you VERY ill and doesn't cure the hep C. Friend of mine went thru the treatment and he is just as sick as he was before they tortured him. Took forever just to get to feeling as well as he did before the treatment. Quote Link to comment
Granny Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 If a person is concerned about it, no harm in getting tested. Recommendation for entire generation is a little ridiculous in my opinion. As a baby boomer who missed woodstock and all the other high risk stuff won’t be running out any time soon and getting tested. Always thankful for treatment options for those battling illness, however one can't help but note the "urgency of issue" coincides with availability of two new drugs that hit the market. Reportedly these added to current treatment regimens provide better cure rates, lower treatment time, at mere cost 1k to 4k per week. As for false positive after blood donation due to vaccination must be meaning Hep B shot. There's no such thing as Hep C vaccine, though companies are working on so-called “therapeutic vaccines” designed to help patients already infected. Quote Link to comment
Mt_Rider Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 GRANNY!!!!!! Where have you been????????? Nice to see you posting! MtRider Quote Link to comment
Cat Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 **Adjusts tin foil hat** Big pharmacy wants the government to pay for millions of unnecessary tests. The government wants to prove that it's national health care can be a "life saver". The scared public might actually believe that the government wants to help them. Who will hire/insure you once they find you (may or may not *if* it's correct) have HepC? Who benefits from this? Follow the money trail... Quote Link to comment
ScrubbieLady Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 Since it is a blood test, could they be looking for anything else while they are there. (See I have a tin foil hat also). Quote Link to comment
mommato3boys Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 If a person is concerned about it, no harm in getting tested. Recommendation for entire generation is a little ridiculous in my opinion. As a baby boomer who missed woodstock and all the other high risk stuff won’t be running out any time soon and getting tested. Always thankful for treatment options for those battling illness, however one can't help but note the "urgency of issue" coincides with availability of two new drugs that hit the market. Reportedly these added to current treatment regimens provide better cure rates, lower treatment time, at mere cost 1k to 4k per week. As for false positive after blood donation due to vaccination must be meaning Hep B shot. There's no such thing as Hep C vaccine, though companies are working on so-called “therapeutic vaccines” designed to help patients already infected. Your correct Granny it was Hep B. Oops sorry. Quote Link to comment
Granny Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 GRANNY!!!!!! Where have you been????????? Nice to see you posting! MtRider Thank you Mt R trying to check in periodically. Home computer on blitz holding off until winter to fix. Can't throw hat in the ring just yet but sure hoping I can meet up with ya'all in Georgia Quote Link to comment
Mt_Rider Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 REALL REALLLLLY? DARLENE.....set another place at the table!!! MtRider [....hope you can come! ] Quote Link to comment
ArmyOfFive4God Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 How kind that they're RECOMMENDING it. Usually they force stuff like this *sigh* Quote Link to comment
ScrubbieLady Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 First they recommend or it is voluntary, then they go to mandatory(usually because people don't fall in line and get it done). Quote Link to comment
ArmyOfFive4God Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 Yeah, they tried that with the Hep B vax & i was able to get away with my baby unscathed. Quote Link to comment
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