HEPATITIS C
Summary
Hepatitis C: Is a
disease caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV) that can result in serious
damage to the liver, and can be fatal.
How hepatitis C is spread: Hepatitis C is spread when HCV-infected blood or other body
fluids that contain blood pass into another person's body. Hepatitis C is
most often spread through unprotected sexual activity with an infected
man or woman or by drug users who share contaminated needles.
Who is a risk at work: Health care workers that are stuck by needles or cut with
contaminated sharp devices, and any other workers that have routine
exposure to blood or body fluids.
Prevention: Using
syringes and other sharps that are designed to prevent needlesticks and
other injuries. Treating all blood and body fluids as infectious
(universal precautions). Wearing gloves and other protective equipment to
avoid contact with all blood and body fluids that may contain blood.
Laws: OSHA's
Bloodborne Pathogens Standard (29 CFR 1919.1030) requires equipment,
work practices, and other measures to prevent exposure to blood. The
standard is on OSHA's web site at: http://www.osha-slc.gov/OshStd_data/1910_1030.html.
The Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act passed in 2000 and amended the OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard
to strengthen the requirements to provide safety needles, record
needlesticks, and involve workers in the selection of equipment and work
practices to prevent needlesticks and other exposures to blood. In
addition to the federal law, many states have passed needlestick
prevention laws.
|
WHAT IS HEPATITIS C:
Hepatitis C is an infection caused by the
hepatitis C virus (HCV). Hepatitis C causes serious damage to the liver and
can be fatal. Infection with hepatitis interferes with the liver's primary
function of filtering the blood.
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS AND HEALTH EFFECTS?
Infection with HCV can result in no or mild
symptoms, acute (short-term) liver disease, and/or chronic (long-term)
illness.
- Acute hepatitis C symptoms
include jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes), fatigue, loss of
appetite, nausea, and vomiting. It commonly takes 2 to 3 months for
symptoms to show up after exposure (incubation period). The incubation
period can range from 2 weeks to 6 months.
·
Chronic hepatitis C is a condition that results when the infection lasts for several
months. Chronic infection develops in 75-80% of patients. Active liver
disease develops in 70% of those with chronic infection. Of those with
active liver disease, 10-20% develop cirrhosis and 1-5% develop liver
cancer.
HOW IS THE DISEASE SPREAD?
Hepatitis C is a bloodborne disease. This means
that HCV lives in blood and it can also live in any body fluid that
contains blood. These include semen from men, and all vaginal/cervical
fluids from women. The virus is also found in internal body fluids that
surround the heart, the lungs, and bone joints (like the shoulder and
elbows), as well as spinal fluid. HCV is not normally found in urine, feces
or saliva. However, because of injury or illness, some of these substances
may be contaminated with blood.
Hepatitis C is spread when infected blood, semen,
vaginal/cervical fluid or other infectious materials pass into another
person's body. The virus is most often spread through unprotected sexual
activity with an infected man or woman or by drug users who share
contaminated needles. Hepatitis C is the most common chronic bloodborne
infection in the United States. The number of people infected with
hepatitis C is estimated to be about 4 million people, four times the
number of people infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
WHO IS AT RISK?
The workers with the greatest risk of becoming
infected at work are those with jobs that involve routine exposure to blood
and other body fluids. Health care and other workers can be exposed to
hepatitis C from needlesticks and cuts and nicks caused by sharp objects. Infection
can also occur if workers have contact with blood or infectious body fluids
through broken, cut or torn skin. There is a risk of infection if workers
are splashed with blood or other body fluids that make contact with
naturally wet skin in the eyes, nose, or mouth. Corrections staff, law
enforcement, and public safety workers such as emergency medical personnel
are at risk through exposure to blood or fluids infected with blood.
HOW CAN THE SPREAD OF HEPATITIS C BE PREVENTED?
Preventing infection depends on avoiding contact
with blood and other fluids that might contain HCV. "Universal
precautions" (also known as "standard precautions") means
treating everybody's blood and body fluids as if they were infected.
Needlesticks can be prevented by using needleless
systems, retractable syringes and other devices that have built-in safety
features. "Barrier protection" must be used to shield all
naturally wet skin (mouth, nose, eyes, etc.) and all broken, cut or torn skin.
The barrier must be leakproof so that infected blood or other fluids cannot
pass through it. Latex rubber, other heavy rubbers, materials with certain
types of vinyl, and other plastics are good barrier materials. Latex rubber
gloves shield the hands by covering any tiny cuts, hangnails, and cracked
dry skin that might provide an entry for the virus. Masks, goggles and face
shields cover the naturally wet skin in the eyes, nose and mouth from
splashes of blood or other infected materials.
WARNING: Many workers are allergic to latex and need to have gloves
made of other materials that also provide effective barrier protection.
IS THERE A VACCINE OR EFFECTIVE TREATMENT?
There is no vaccine available to prevent infection
with Hepatitis C, nor is there a proven cure. To date, there has only been
limited progress in treating the disease. Infection is detected by a blood
test that looks for the presence of antibodies produced by the body's
immune system to the hepatitis C virus. Additional tests are performed to
assess the progression of the disease.
WHAT LAWS EXIST TO PROTECT WORKERS FROM HEPATITIS
C?
OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard (29 CFR
1910.1030)
In 1986, AFSCME was the first union to request
that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issue a
regulation to protect workers from occupational exposure to bloodborne
diseases. OSHA issued the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard in 1991. The
standard requires that employers:
- Have
an exposure control plan to identify workers at risk.
·
Provide safety needles and
puncture proof containers for used sharps.
·
Ensure that universal
precautions are practiced.
·
Provide gloves, masks, and
other protective equipment.
·
Provide prompt evaluation
and treatment to workers who have a needlestick or other exposure to blood.
·
Train workers each year on
bloodborne diseases.
See The OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard AFSCME
fact sheet for more information.
Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act
The Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act passed
in 2000 and amended the OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard. The law
strengthened the requirements to provide safety needles, record
needlesticks, and involve workers in the selection of equipment and work practices
to prevent needlesticks and other exposures to blood. In addition to the
federal law, many states have passed needlestick prevention laws.
February 2001
For more information about protecting workers from
workplace hazards, contact the AFSCME Health and Safety Program at (202)
429-1228, or 1625 L Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20036.
|