Question
Well I thought someone might notice my post on a related posting: but to no avail. I think this casual attitude will be societys'
eventual downfall. Indifference. Yeah you got your facts and figures but what good will that do when death comes knocking at your door? So I guess what I need to do is go through the routine once again and see if anyones attitude has changed. Maybe then I will get some type of help.
Answer
Actually I did see your post as I was headed out the door to go to Atlanta to do my 12 hour nursing thing--and just got back in. I thought perhaps Nurse Red would have answered, as she is the moderator for this forum and usually answers everything in the am before she heads into work.
Anyway, there is several things I am not too clear on in your original post--are you saying that you took your current trucking job to get insurance??? so that you could get treatment for your hepatitis C with the new combination drug therapy??
I got my information about hepatitis C off the website for WEBMD and CNN. This could further clarify points about hepatitis C. Here they are:
Veterans may be at risk of hepatitis C http://cnn.com/HEALTH/9911/09/health.hepatitis.reut/index.html
Panel warns of explosion in hepatitis C deaths http://cnn.com/HEALTH/9703/26/nfm/hepatitis.c/ This site will lead you at the end of the article to related sites of Hepatitis C Info and Support and The International Hepatitis Foundation.
Study:Hepatitis C may trigger jump in need for liver transplants http://cnn.com/HEALTH/9811/09/hep.c.threat/index.html
Study:2.7 million Americans have chronic hepatitis C http://cnn.com/HEALTH/9908/18/hepatitisc.ap/
Experts Urge Widespread Screening of Veterans for HCV
Vietnam-Era Veterans at Highest Risk http://webmd-practice.medcast.com/Z/Channels/38/article52144
U.S.Incidence of Liver CA expected to Climb as Hepatitis C Progresses http://webmd-practice.medcast.com/Z/Channels/38/article 52150
Web MD has a good site devoted just to hepatitis C that you might be able to get some further info from.
I know that new combination therapy with interferon and ribavirin can achieve a response in 40-50% of patients, as the article points out. But the treatment has only been availabe since 1997, and so it is too early to predict what course HCV will take in the U.S. Not everyone is going to get cured with this new combination of drugs.
As far as the legal aspects of this situation==I am not really qualified to respond--that I would have to defer to someone else. As far as the nurse or lab technician not wearing gloves--that is just plain scary that they would be putting their lives on the line like that.
[This message has been edited by RunningSoLate (edited December 09, 1999).]
Answer
Thanks for your concern! But my guess is that with the "ostriches" running things-
the possibility my daughter represents the NEW generation of HCV will probably see its
dawn in the next century. May God have mercy on our souls.