Aa
Hep C worry
Hello!
I recently had (protected) sex with a new girlfriend on the last day of her period. We have been together for a couple of months and I have never asked about her STD, etc status - though I have no reason to think she has anything. The base of my penis and the condom had some blood on them after sex, but given that we used a condom, I am not particularly concerned about infection. Almost 24 hours later, my 6 year old son was staying over with me and in the morning he came through to my bed, as he often does. When we woke up, I noticed two things: 1) he had taken off his underwear (he often does this, because he gets too hot lying next to me!), and 2) there were some small patches of dried blood on both the sheet beneath us and the duvet. For some reason, I had not noticed them before.
We live in China, so both he and I are vaccinated for Hep B, but I worry about the risk of Hep C. He must have been in the bed for a couple of hours with his bottom and penis exposed. And there was dried blood on the bed that would have been, I guess, about 18-20 hours old. Does this represent a risk?
Many thanks!
Victor
I recently had (protected) sex with a new girlfriend on the last day of her period. We have been together for a couple of months and I have never asked about her STD, etc status - though I have no reason to think she has anything. The base of my penis and the condom had some blood on them after sex, but given that we used a condom, I am not particularly concerned about infection. Almost 24 hours later, my 6 year old son was staying over with me and in the morning he came through to my bed, as he often does. When we woke up, I noticed two things: 1) he had taken off his underwear (he often does this, because he gets too hot lying next to me!), and 2) there were some small patches of dried blood on both the sheet beneath us and the duvet. For some reason, I had not noticed them before.
We live in China, so both he and I are vaccinated for Hep B, but I worry about the risk of Hep C. He must have been in the bed for a couple of hours with his bottom and penis exposed. And there was dried blood on the bed that would have been, I guess, about 18-20 hours old. Does this represent a risk?
Many thanks!
Victor
"Since I am not a drug user...never shared a needle...had blood transfusions when I was small and in my teens...worked in an ER....where did I get my Hep C"
That probably is the question of the day, as many of us are not exactly sure how we contracted it, in most cases it it just an educated guess from your doctor from the risk factor information provided.
"So another question for you. If hep C can't lie dormat why are so many baby boomers walking around with it, not knowing?"
Lack of testing, most don't know they were ever put at risk or don't believe they ever had a risk factor so they have never been tested, hep c is a asymptomatic disease and shows no signs in many cases for 20-30 yrs, if you go the the cdc websites that I posted above there is a lot of current, accurate info on hep c
Wishing you all the best
Have a great day
That probably is the question of the day, as many of us are not exactly sure how we contracted it, in most cases it it just an educated guess from your doctor from the risk factor information provided.
"So another question for you. If hep C can't lie dormat why are so many baby boomers walking around with it, not knowing?"
Lack of testing, most don't know they were ever put at risk or don't believe they ever had a risk factor so they have never been tested, hep c is a asymptomatic disease and shows no signs in many cases for 20-30 yrs, if you go the the cdc websites that I posted above there is a lot of current, accurate info on hep c
Wishing you all the best
Have a great day
I am not as learned as you and hrsepwrguy but most of my information over the years has come from my docs or cdc. As a EMT from the 80's when there was a non/a-non/b until they identified c we were often cavalier in the handling of blood products. Neither of you might be old enough to remember when health care professionals weren't gloved and masked but I do. As for the virsus staying active on stainless steel that was what they told us in the late 80s-early 90's. Maybe it was a scare tactic or just fear related because they didn't know enough at the time but most people who share razors do it with the timeline of a few days. So this is important. All I do know is that this is a blood to blood virsus. Also according to cdcgov/nchhstp/newsroom/docs/ABCs-Of-Viral-Hepatitis.pdf: 3/4 of people infected do not know it. Of people w/Hep C 2 out of 3 are baby boomers. Baby boomer who had transfusion prior to 1992 could be infected. 75-85% of people with Hep C develop a chronic infection.
Just a couple of months ago it was wide spread over the news media that people born between 1945 and 1965 needed to be tested for Hep C especially if they had transfusion during that period of time.
So not meaning to pass along harmful information...I ask you. Since I am not a drug user...never shared a needle...had blood transfusions when I was small and in my teens...worked in an ER....where did I get my Hep C.
As for is information I agree...that is why I have turned to this website to get informed info...when I went to the tripleX Clinical to get our kits, etc. there were about 20 people there and every single one had different information. Even the person from the drug company told us one thing regarding diet, etc versus what the clinical coordinator told us. People voice their opions and the ending statement was to check with your individual doctor.
When I was diagnosied w/Hep C I was shocked as I had taken HepA&B shots...my family physician was not equiped...nor where people back in the 90's to handle this virsus. So as time marchs forward, new info is available.
I am 64. Chronic Hep C. Diagnosied in 1996. Given 30 days to get affairs in order. Refused to accept that as fact. Got a team of excellent doctors who know what they are doing. My TP doc had recommended me for tripleX and then pulled back his recommendation based new information recently received on the trial drug for people with decompensated livers. So information and opinions change constantly. I am Stage 4 with decompensation, Meld 16, Hep C Viral load 250M.
So another question for you. If hep C can't lie dormat why are so many baby boomers walking around with it, not knowing?
OprhanHawk..have been told you and Hector are most learned. Can you both add me to any of you HEP C related posts so I can be informed and reinformed.
Just a couple of months ago it was wide spread over the news media that people born between 1945 and 1965 needed to be tested for Hep C especially if they had transfusion during that period of time.
So not meaning to pass along harmful information...I ask you. Since I am not a drug user...never shared a needle...had blood transfusions when I was small and in my teens...worked in an ER....where did I get my Hep C.
As for is information I agree...that is why I have turned to this website to get informed info...when I went to the tripleX Clinical to get our kits, etc. there were about 20 people there and every single one had different information. Even the person from the drug company told us one thing regarding diet, etc versus what the clinical coordinator told us. People voice their opions and the ending statement was to check with your individual doctor.
When I was diagnosied w/Hep C I was shocked as I had taken HepA&B shots...my family physician was not equiped...nor where people back in the 90's to handle this virsus. So as time marchs forward, new info is available.
I am 64. Chronic Hep C. Diagnosied in 1996. Given 30 days to get affairs in order. Refused to accept that as fact. Got a team of excellent doctors who know what they are doing. My TP doc had recommended me for tripleX and then pulled back his recommendation based new information recently received on the trial drug for people with decompensated livers. So information and opinions change constantly. I am Stage 4 with decompensation, Meld 16, Hep C Viral load 250M.
So another question for you. If hep C can't lie dormat why are so many baby boomers walking around with it, not knowing?
OprhanHawk..have been told you and Hector are most learned. Can you both add me to any of you HEP C related posts so I can be informed and reinformed.
The fact that your son took his pants off, doesn't
make him more at risk...it has to be an open cut~
make him more at risk...it has to be an open cut~
I want to echo hrspwer's request.
All the information we've seen on reliable web sites states that hep C can live outside the body no longer than 4 days.
If you have other documented information please share it with us and include the link. If not, then please do not further pass on mis-information about the virus. There's already enough ignorance surrounding this virus already. I'm sure you don't want to unintentionally spread any more.
Thanks.
All the information we've seen on reliable web sites states that hep C can live outside the body no longer than 4 days.
If you have other documented information please share it with us and include the link. If not, then please do not further pass on mis-information about the virus. There's already enough ignorance surrounding this virus already. I'm sure you don't want to unintentionally spread any more.
Thanks.
"The virsus itself can stay active up to 180 days on stanless steel."
Could you please post the study that proves this statement.
How long does the Hepatitis C virus survive outside the body?
The Hepatitis C virus can survive outside the body at room temperature, on environmental surfaces, for at least 16 hours but no longer than 4 days.
http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/C/cFAQ.htm
Survival in Syringes
HCV survival in blood in syringes is a key concern, given that sharing needles for drug injection is the most common route of hepatitis C transmission. In a presentation at the 17th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in February, Elijah Paintsil from Yale University School of Medicine reported findings from a laboratory study looking at how long HCV can live in syringes.
The researchers first filled syringes with HCV-infected blood and depressed the plunger, simulating what happens when a user “boots,” or draws blood up into a syringe to mix with drugs and then reinjects it. Either immediately or after storing for up to two months at various temperatures, the team flushed out the syringes and attempted to grow recovered virus in genotype 2 HCV in cell cultures. They analyzed both low-volume (2 microliter) insulin syringes with permanently attached needles and high-volume (32 microliter) tuberculin syringes with detachable needles.
In the low-volume syringes, the likelihood of finding infectious HCV declined rapidly, with no viable virus recovered after one day of storage at 37ºC or three days at 22ºC (72ºF). At 4ºC, viable virus could be detected in two-thirds of syringes after one day of storage, about 25% after three days, and about 5% after seven days.
But in high-volume syringes, infectious HCV could still be recovered from nearly all syringes stored at 4ºC for seven days, from about half of those stored for 35 days, and from about 10% even after 63 days. At higher temperatures of 22ºC or 37ºC, viable HCV could still be recovered from a small percentage of syringes after two months.
The longer survival of HCV in syringes helps explain why HCV transmission occurs ten times more often than HIV transmission from accidental needle sticks, and why harm reduction measures such as needle exchange have reduced HIV incidence more than new HCV incidence.
At an accompanying press conference Paintsil said that while it might be advisable for needle exchange programs to offer smaller insulin syringes, some individuals (for example, transgender people who inject hormones) want larger syringes, and the most important thing is to provide enough so that people never have to share.
Understanding how long HCV can survive outside the body can inform practices to reduce the risk of viral transmission. According to Krawczynski and colleagues, “The potential for HCV to survive in the environment re-emphasizes the importance of cleaning and disinfection procedures, safe therapeutic injection practices, and harm reduction counseling and services for injection drug users.”
http://hepatitiscresearchandnewsupdates.blogspot.com/2010/09/hcv-outside-body-how-well-does-it.html .
"my Hep C could have been lying dormat in my system since I was 15"
There is no such thing as a dormant HCV infection you either have an active infection or you don't.
What is Hepatitis C?
Hepatitis C is a contagious liver disease that ranges in severity from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a serious, lifelong illness that attacks the liver. It results from infection with the Hepatitis C virus (HCV), which is spread primarily through contact with the blood of an infected person. Hepatitis C can be either “acute” or “chronic.”
Acute Hepatitis C virus infection is a short-term illness that occurs within the first 6 months after someone is exposed to the Hepatitis C virus. For most people, acute infection leads to chronic infection.
Chronic Hepatitis C virus infection is a long-term illness that occurs when the Hepatitis C virus remains in a person’s body. Hepatitis C virus infection can last a lifetime and lead to serious liver problems, including cirrhosis (scarring of the liver) or liver cancer
http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/C/cFAQ.htm
Could you please post the study that proves this statement.
How long does the Hepatitis C virus survive outside the body?
The Hepatitis C virus can survive outside the body at room temperature, on environmental surfaces, for at least 16 hours but no longer than 4 days.
http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/C/cFAQ.htm
Survival in Syringes
HCV survival in blood in syringes is a key concern, given that sharing needles for drug injection is the most common route of hepatitis C transmission. In a presentation at the 17th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in February, Elijah Paintsil from Yale University School of Medicine reported findings from a laboratory study looking at how long HCV can live in syringes.
The researchers first filled syringes with HCV-infected blood and depressed the plunger, simulating what happens when a user “boots,” or draws blood up into a syringe to mix with drugs and then reinjects it. Either immediately or after storing for up to two months at various temperatures, the team flushed out the syringes and attempted to grow recovered virus in genotype 2 HCV in cell cultures. They analyzed both low-volume (2 microliter) insulin syringes with permanently attached needles and high-volume (32 microliter) tuberculin syringes with detachable needles.
In the low-volume syringes, the likelihood of finding infectious HCV declined rapidly, with no viable virus recovered after one day of storage at 37ºC or three days at 22ºC (72ºF). At 4ºC, viable virus could be detected in two-thirds of syringes after one day of storage, about 25% after three days, and about 5% after seven days.
But in high-volume syringes, infectious HCV could still be recovered from nearly all syringes stored at 4ºC for seven days, from about half of those stored for 35 days, and from about 10% even after 63 days. At higher temperatures of 22ºC or 37ºC, viable HCV could still be recovered from a small percentage of syringes after two months.
The longer survival of HCV in syringes helps explain why HCV transmission occurs ten times more often than HIV transmission from accidental needle sticks, and why harm reduction measures such as needle exchange have reduced HIV incidence more than new HCV incidence.
At an accompanying press conference Paintsil said that while it might be advisable for needle exchange programs to offer smaller insulin syringes, some individuals (for example, transgender people who inject hormones) want larger syringes, and the most important thing is to provide enough so that people never have to share.
Understanding how long HCV can survive outside the body can inform practices to reduce the risk of viral transmission. According to Krawczynski and colleagues, “The potential for HCV to survive in the environment re-emphasizes the importance of cleaning and disinfection procedures, safe therapeutic injection practices, and harm reduction counseling and services for injection drug users.”
http://hepatitiscresearchandnewsupdates.blogspot.com/2010/09/hcv-outside-body-how-well-does-it.html .
"my Hep C could have been lying dormat in my system since I was 15"
There is no such thing as a dormant HCV infection you either have an active infection or you don't.
What is Hepatitis C?
Hepatitis C is a contagious liver disease that ranges in severity from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a serious, lifelong illness that attacks the liver. It results from infection with the Hepatitis C virus (HCV), which is spread primarily through contact with the blood of an infected person. Hepatitis C can be either “acute” or “chronic.”
Acute Hepatitis C virus infection is a short-term illness that occurs within the first 6 months after someone is exposed to the Hepatitis C virus. For most people, acute infection leads to chronic infection.
Chronic Hepatitis C virus infection is a long-term illness that occurs when the Hepatitis C virus remains in a person’s body. Hepatitis C virus infection can last a lifetime and lead to serious liver problems, including cirrhosis (scarring of the liver) or liver cancer
http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/C/cFAQ.htm
My 1st hep C doc did a couples study. 1 partner infected, the other not. 200 people. None of the partners were infected at the end of the study BUT 2 sisters & a mother, all from different families had been infected w/C and they believe source of exposure was from sharing leg shaving razors. The virsus itself can stay active up to 180 days on stanless steel. My doc, who gave up his practice to go solely into Hep C research said he could drink a cup of my blood and unless he had an open lesion in his mouth or thorat he would not be affected. BLOOD to BLOOD contact. Hep C is the virsus that we clinically classified as non-a/non-b until the late 80's. I worked in the ER and had numerous needle sticks, bit a couple of times, and other gory things but my Hep C could have been lying dormat in my system since I was 15 and had to have transfusions after my tonsils were taken out. It can lay dormat in your system for decades. They are too many ways one can or could have gotten it to worry about it...you can't go backwards. You can only go forwards. Everyone should have annual blood tests. In the state I live in if you have Hep C and you don't disclose this information to your new or existing partner and they become infected you can be tried for potential murder. So stay up on your state laws if in US and constantly monitor your symptoms.
Also maybe you are infected with Hep-C and are a risk to HER and she should know if you are a RISK to her, don't ya think?
Chances are very low to non-existent.
The first thing of course is your girlfriend would have to be infected with chronic hepatitis C. There is only one way to find out if she is infected, HAVE HER GET TESTED. You have been together for months. You should know if she has hepatitis C or HIV or an STD don't you think?
Once you find out if she is infected go from there.
If she isn't infected, than you have nothing to worry about.
How is Hepatitis C spread?
Hepatitis C is usually spread when blood from a person infected with the Hepatitis C virus enters the body of someone who is not infected. Today, most people become infected with the Hepatitis C virus by sharing needles or other equipment to inject drugs.
So her blood would have to have gotten into your blood and your son's blood stream from open cuts somehow for there to be any chance of being infected.
Good luck.
Hector
The first thing of course is your girlfriend would have to be infected with chronic hepatitis C. There is only one way to find out if she is infected, HAVE HER GET TESTED. You have been together for months. You should know if she has hepatitis C or HIV or an STD don't you think?
Once you find out if she is infected go from there.
If she isn't infected, than you have nothing to worry about.
How is Hepatitis C spread?
Hepatitis C is usually spread when blood from a person infected with the Hepatitis C virus enters the body of someone who is not infected. Today, most people become infected with the Hepatitis C virus by sharing needles or other equipment to inject drugs.
So her blood would have to have gotten into your blood and your son's blood stream from open cuts somehow for there to be any chance of being infected.
Good luck.
Hector
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