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669455 tn?1244616377

Hep C Scare? and Joining the army!

Hey people so I applied to join the army. As you can see why im here

7 Months ago i joined up, 3 weeks into the process got my blood test done. It came back Hep c Positive.

So they told me to get futhur testing, I got about 12 test done - 7 PCRS all come back negative for the infection in my blood, the only thing that remained was the anti bodies, ive also had ultra sounds. - currently waiting on riba tests.. also seen two specialists, gastronologist and a infectious disease specialist whos is connected with the army. who said its either a false positive or ive had contact with the disease but the body fought it off therefore im no risk.

So i wait for 5 weeks they get back to me saying I am still Hep c positive

What the hell? So they said i can appeal again which i will and if i get a no I will take it higher once again, till i win.

Im not sure what they are thinking any help would be great





Also a letter from my infectious disease specialist.


i refer to this applicant for entry into the Australian regular army


i note that pre-recruitment screening for hepatitis c shows a positive result thought two different methodologies at Queensland medical Laboratories and a positive result at Sullivan nicoladies which was not confirmed by murex assay.

subsequent to these discordant results mr hegarty had has four pcr assay split between both labratotires

there are two alternative explanations for this situation

1. either the hepatitis c antibody discordant results are false positive results and i think this is the most likely explanation

2 the alternative explanation is hepatitis c antibody results shows orevious expsoure to hep c but no active infection at present

the patient has no risk factor for hep c. I think the former explanation that these are false positive results is more likely, but the latter cannot be excluded, either way, under the current defense force regulations, and regardless of  potiental aruguments in relation to re-activation in circumstances of immunosuppresion or re-infection, mr hegarty has no hep c virus in the blood therefor in myview no barrier to his recruitment.
48 Responses
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87972 tn?1322661239
Some things in life are better left a mystery, hegs :o)

Take good care, and play safe— they say the army uses real bullets; and you were frightened you might have had HCV!

Bill
Helpful - 0
669455 tn?1244616377
Iummunoblot is the riba too.
Helpful - 0
669455 tn?1244616377
hey bill :)... cheers bud :),

By the way care to explain this?

Hep C(supplementary) non reactive

Hep c Immunoblot (indeterminate)


I shall keep it safe :)
Helpful - 0
87972 tn?1322661239
Hegs, man; it looks like you have it in the bag, now! Good work, and good luck—

Bill

By the way; put that letter in a safe place; you never know what other obstacles you might encounter in life, OK?
Helpful - 0
669455 tn?1244616377
Inst an infectious diseases specialist the highest you can go to prove it? and Ive seen a gastroangologist, then the army sent me to him.
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233616 tn?1312787196
3 tests read no antibodies, if it looks like a duck...

from the inventor of the NGI-PCR, Labcorps most sensitive >1 tests we were told this:
slide contamination, and improper machine cleaning account for the majority of false positives. There's always a human element in every machine run test..so there will always be a rate of error even in a machine able to detect parts per million it doesn't rule out one sample brushing against another at some point etc.

you will probably have to have a liver doctor confirm this in writing before the army believes it though...sad to say.

Best of everything to you, and congrats on your patriotic attitude. I'm sure you'll do fine whereever you land. But don't give up, you just need someone who actually understands these tests to convince the less knowledgable bureaucrats.

mb
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