As a hepatitis C virus (HCV) sufferer and a former health care worker, I would like to offer your readers some information from the perspective of a patient with HCV for more than 20 years. HIV has drawn all the attention, while 4-5 million people suffer from HCV. Why no help from the media? Once the liver is destroyed, our immune systems get compromised. The full effects of this virus are yet to be seen in our society. Methadone clinic patients are testing positive at an alarming rate for this virus. Health care workers are not being properly monitored, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention only wants new cases reported to them, yet 80-90 percent of HCV sufferers are considered chronic.
Why are dentists, police, and fire departments, including paramedic rescue teams, not adequately educated about protecting themselves from this virus? What about the issues of liver transplants ...
