What Is Hep C Risk During Necessary Procedures?

November 23, 2011

In Canada’s capital, Ottowa, a class action lawsuit is coming forward about Hepatitis C, B and possible HIV contamination from the office of Dr. Christiane Farazli.

The possible source of Hepatitis C contamination is an endoscopy procedure that, according to those who’ve tested positive for Hepatitis C and B, was not only unsanitary, but painful (implying improper procedure all around).

Hep C is incredibly contagious, so the infected patients are being asked to prove that transmission occurred at the doctor’s office, and not before.

Determining what is Hep C transmission rates is difficult, since symptoms can resemble the flu and might not occur for months after transmission, if at all. It’s estimated that about 1% of the population has antibodies for Hep C (not everyone who gets Hep C gets chronic Hep C).

What’s particularly interesting is how this highlights the risk for disease transmission during preventative screenings, something already being questioned. False positives and unnecessary treatments are leading to new recommendations to suggest personalized plans that take disease risk into account rather than generalized recommendations. With the risk for hard to treat diseases like Hep C and HIV, it may be worth talking to your doctor about your personal need for certain screenings.

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