Hepatitis C
As of 2012, there is no vaccine that works to prevent Hepatitis C. Researchers are working on vaccines, are some are making progress. The spread of Hepatitis C can be prevented by using a combination of strategies, like needle exchange programs (where IV drug users can get clean needles which will not spread the virus) and treatment for drug abuse. If these strategies are used together, the risk of IV drug users getting Hepatitis C drops by about 75%. At a national level - within each country - screening blood donors is important for preventing the spread of Hepatitis C. So is using universal precautions in healthcare facilities. (This means that healthcare workers treat every patient as if he has Hepatitis C, and they always wear gloves, clean their equipment properly, and keep things sterile so that diseases cannot be spread.) In countries that do not have enough sterile syringes to use a new needle for every patient, healthcare providers should give medications orally (by mouth) rather than via injection (using a needle) so that needles do not have to be re-used.