World Hepatitis Day will be recognized July 28. Do your part and get
yourself and your loved ones tested for hepatitis C. If you test
positive, treatment is now available that should result in a total cure
for most patients. This is one of the most significant scientific
advances that I have seen in my medical career and I consider it nothing
short of miraculous.
What Is hepatitis?
Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver. It can have many causes, such as alcohol, toxins, medication side effects, autoimmune diseases or viruses. One type, hepatitis C, is caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV). It usually spreads through contact with infected blood. It can also spread through sex with an infected person and from mother to baby during childbirth.
Hepatitis C is the most common blood-borne infection in the U.S. Approximately 3.6 million (1. 3 percent) persons in the U.S. have been infected with HCV, of whom 2.7 million are chronically infected. It has been estimated that roughly 75 percent of persons infected are unaware of their status and that 3 out of 4 persons infected are baby boomers (persons born between 1945 and 1965).
Statewide, an estimated 200,000 New Yorkers are living with HCV infection. Up to 150,000 are unaware of their HCV status. In Dutchess County, 2,700 residents are living with HCV and over 2,000 of them are unaware that they are infected. In 2013, New York state enacted the HCV testing law that hopes to ensure timely diagnosis and linkage to care. The New York State Hepatitis C Testing Law requires an HCV screening test be offered to every individual born between 1945 and 1965 receiving health services.
Hepatitis C infects about 25,000 people each year; most develop chronic infections. Often those infected with hepatitis C don’t have any symptoms for years. Many of those with chronic hepatitis C do not know they are infected and are at risk for developing chronic liver diseases such as cirrhosis and cancer of the liver. Those who injected drugs are at highest risk for infection even if they injected only once many years ago.
If you do get symptoms, you may feel as if you have the flu. You may also have jaundice, a yellowing of skin and eyes, dark-colored urine and pale-whitish bowel movements. Usually, hepatitis C does not get better by itself. The infection can last a lifetime and may lead to scarring of the liver or liver cancer. Complications can set in, requiring the need for a liver transplant. New medicines have the promise to cure hepatitis C and my public health colleagues are now developing a strategy to eliminate hepatitis C all together.
There is currently no vaccine for HCV like there are for the other viral infections hepatitis A and hepatitis B, so prevention, testing and treatment are critical to control and eliminate hep C.
How Is hepatitis C diagnosed?
A simple blood test can tell if you have it. There are two main blood tests typically used to diagnose Hepatitis C. First, a screening test will show if you have ever had hepatitis C. If this test is positive, a second test will be done.
Recent advances in the treatment of hepatitis C
Advances in the number and types of medications available to treat hepatitis C give you and your doctor more options to consider when deciding on a treatment plan. These advances have made treatment regimens shorter in duration, less difficult to tolerate and more effective.
Take care of your liver
Your liver is the largest organ inside your body. It helps your body digest food, store energy and remove poisons. Taking care of your liver means taking care of yourself.
• Eat well
• Reduce alcohol
Alcohol damages and destroys liver cells. Liver damage leads to the buildup of fat in your liver (fatty liver), inflammation or swelling of your liver (alcoholic hepatitis) and may result in scarring of your liver (cirrhosis).
• Respect your medicines
Some medicines may affect your liver function. When medicines are taken incorrectly – by taking too much or the wrong type or by mixing – the liver can be harmed.
Learn about your medicines and how they can affect the liver
Follow dosing instructions
Talk to a doctor or pharmacist often about the medicines you are taking
• Avoid breathing in or touching toxins
Toxins can injure liver cells.
Limit direct contact with (touching or breathing in) toxins from cleaning and aerosol products, insecticides, chemicals and additives in cigarettes
Do not smoke
The past 30 years have brought great advances in our understanding of hepatitis C and how it affects the liver. We have been searching for a curative treatment and it has now arrived. We finally have developed a strategy to eliminate this virus in our community once and for all. Success depends on you. Get tested for hepatitis C today. It’s silent, it’s deadly but now we have the upper hand.
Dr. Michael Caldwell is the former Dutchess County Commissioner of Health. Send comments to
Who should be tested for HCV
Adults born from 1945 through 1965 should be tested once (without prior ascertainment of HCV risk factors)
HCV testing is recommended for those who:
• Currently inject drugs
• Ever injected drugs, including those who injected once or a few times many years ago
• Have certain medical conditions, including persons:
who received clotting factor concentrates produced before 1987
who were ever on long-term hemodialysis
with persistently abnormal alanine aminotransferase levels (ALT)
who have HIV infection
• Were prior recipients of transfusions or organ transplants, including persons who:
were notified that they received blood from a donor who later tested positive for HCV infection
received a transfusion of blood, blood components, or an organ transplant before July 1992
• HCV-testing based on a recognized exposure is recommended for:
Healthcare, emergency medical, and public safety workers after needle sticks, sharps or mucosal exposures to HCV-positive blood
Children born to HCV-positive women
What Is hepatitis?
Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver. It can have many causes, such as alcohol, toxins, medication side effects, autoimmune diseases or viruses. One type, hepatitis C, is caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV). It usually spreads through contact with infected blood. It can also spread through sex with an infected person and from mother to baby during childbirth.
Hepatitis C is the most common blood-borne infection in the U.S. Approximately 3.6 million (1. 3 percent) persons in the U.S. have been infected with HCV, of whom 2.7 million are chronically infected. It has been estimated that roughly 75 percent of persons infected are unaware of their status and that 3 out of 4 persons infected are baby boomers (persons born between 1945 and 1965).
Statewide, an estimated 200,000 New Yorkers are living with HCV infection. Up to 150,000 are unaware of their HCV status. In Dutchess County, 2,700 residents are living with HCV and over 2,000 of them are unaware that they are infected. In 2013, New York state enacted the HCV testing law that hopes to ensure timely diagnosis and linkage to care. The New York State Hepatitis C Testing Law requires an HCV screening test be offered to every individual born between 1945 and 1965 receiving health services.
Hepatitis C infects about 25,000 people each year; most develop chronic infections. Often those infected with hepatitis C don’t have any symptoms for years. Many of those with chronic hepatitis C do not know they are infected and are at risk for developing chronic liver diseases such as cirrhosis and cancer of the liver. Those who injected drugs are at highest risk for infection even if they injected only once many years ago.
If you do get symptoms, you may feel as if you have the flu. You may also have jaundice, a yellowing of skin and eyes, dark-colored urine and pale-whitish bowel movements. Usually, hepatitis C does not get better by itself. The infection can last a lifetime and may lead to scarring of the liver or liver cancer. Complications can set in, requiring the need for a liver transplant. New medicines have the promise to cure hepatitis C and my public health colleagues are now developing a strategy to eliminate hepatitis C all together.
There is currently no vaccine for HCV like there are for the other viral infections hepatitis A and hepatitis B, so prevention, testing and treatment are critical to control and eliminate hep C.
How Is hepatitis C diagnosed?
A simple blood test can tell if you have it. There are two main blood tests typically used to diagnose Hepatitis C. First, a screening test will show if you have ever had hepatitis C. If this test is positive, a second test will be done.
Recent advances in the treatment of hepatitis C
Advances in the number and types of medications available to treat hepatitis C give you and your doctor more options to consider when deciding on a treatment plan. These advances have made treatment regimens shorter in duration, less difficult to tolerate and more effective.
Take care of your liver
Your liver is the largest organ inside your body. It helps your body digest food, store energy and remove poisons. Taking care of your liver means taking care of yourself.
• Eat well
• Reduce alcohol
Alcohol damages and destroys liver cells. Liver damage leads to the buildup of fat in your liver (fatty liver), inflammation or swelling of your liver (alcoholic hepatitis) and may result in scarring of your liver (cirrhosis).
• Respect your medicines
Some medicines may affect your liver function. When medicines are taken incorrectly – by taking too much or the wrong type or by mixing – the liver can be harmed.
Learn about your medicines and how they can affect the liver
Follow dosing instructions
Talk to a doctor or pharmacist often about the medicines you are taking
• Avoid breathing in or touching toxins
Toxins can injure liver cells.
Limit direct contact with (touching or breathing in) toxins from cleaning and aerosol products, insecticides, chemicals and additives in cigarettes
Do not smoke
The past 30 years have brought great advances in our understanding of hepatitis C and how it affects the liver. We have been searching for a curative treatment and it has now arrived. We finally have developed a strategy to eliminate this virus in our community once and for all. Success depends on you. Get tested for hepatitis C today. It’s silent, it’s deadly but now we have the upper hand.
Dr. Michael Caldwell is the former Dutchess County Commissioner of Health. Send comments to
Who should be tested for HCV
Adults born from 1945 through 1965 should be tested once (without prior ascertainment of HCV risk factors)
HCV testing is recommended for those who:
• Currently inject drugs
• Ever injected drugs, including those who injected once or a few times many years ago
• Have certain medical conditions, including persons:
who received clotting factor concentrates produced before 1987
who were ever on long-term hemodialysis
with persistently abnormal alanine aminotransferase levels (ALT)
who have HIV infection
• Were prior recipients of transfusions or organ transplants, including persons who:
were notified that they received blood from a donor who later tested positive for HCV infection
received a transfusion of blood, blood components, or an organ transplant before July 1992
• HCV-testing based on a recognized exposure is recommended for:
Healthcare, emergency medical, and public safety workers after needle sticks, sharps or mucosal exposures to HCV-positive blood
Children born to HCV-positive women
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