Hepatitis C outbreak thought
to be under control
By Krista Tincher
Of the Tobacco Valley News
A recent hepatitis C outbreak declared by the Lincoln County Health Department last month seems to be under control.
“I’m primarily dealing now with people that have been diagnosed,” health nurse Marcie Johnson said last week. “I think I’ve reached most of the people that needed to be reached at this point,” she said.
Lincoln County has recently diagnosed eight to 10 people, primarily in the south end of the county, with hepatitis C.
The county usually sees zero to one case per year, Johnson said. The sudden jump in cases put Lincoln County in the “outbreak” stage last month.
Since hepatitis C often comes with no immediate symptoms, there may be more unconfirmed cases out there.
Yet the average person needn’t be too concerned about exposure, Johnson said, as long as he or she doesn’t share needles or anything else that might provide blood-to-blood contact: Sharing razors, for example. Or toothbrushes, between people with bleeding gums.
“(An infected person’s) blood has got to get into your blood,” to contract hepatitis C, Johnson said. Chances for contracting the disease through sexual contact is very low, she added.
Hepatitis C is most commonly contracted by injected drug users, Johnson said. Even those who don’t share needles, yet share other drug paraphernalia such as spoons may pass the disease on to other users.
Hepatitis C may sometimes go for a long time period with vague symptoms or no symptoms, but it usually manifests itself in some sort of liver disease, cancer or cirrhosis.
Some people can be treated for hepatitis C, Johnson said, though not all people benefit from treatment.
And unlike hepatitis A and hepatitis B, there is no vaccine for hepatitis C.
Hepatitis A is commonly contracted through food, and hepatitis b is contracted through bodily fluids in general.
“The most important thing is – just don’t do it,” Johnson said. “Don’t do IV drugs.”
Johnson is still working to spread the word about hepatitis C, giving presentations at high schools to heighten awareness of the danger.
She is in the process of contacting Eureka Public Schools to set up a presentation, she said.
The county’s recent campaign to educate the public has been effective, Johnson said. “I’ve received a lot of positive feedback,” she said, and many common misconceptions about the disease have been set straight.
The jump in hepatitis C cases is part of the reason that Johnson’s December layoff date was delayed until June, as the county kept her on to handle the work. Recent budget constraints caused the county to chop the health department in southern Lincoln County during the last budget cycle.
The health department is still conducting free testing for hepatitis C, and offering free hepatitis A and B vaccine for those diagnosed with hepatitis C.
It is highly recommended that those diagnosed with hepatitis C receive the hepatitis A and B vaccinations to protect their already-weakened liver.
“If you have injected drugs in the past or are doing so currently, you need to be tested,” Johnson said.
Inquiries and testing are completely confidential, she added. Those interested may call the Lincoln County Health nurse in Eureka.
_________________
