Hepatitis C?

Question

What should I do . My sisterinlaw has it. She watches my kids...Should I be concerned???

Answer 1

Well, considering I had two healthy kids while infected with HCV, your concern is basically just a normal concern for a parent.

HCV is only transmittable through blood. I am sure your sister has taken the precautions, ie, putting up sharps (razors, toothbrushes, scissors ect).

Your concern should lie within yourself. Have you been tested? Many folks have no known risk factors, yet they find out they have HCV when they donated blood, or the doctor was smart enough to actually go beyond the normal liver panel test.

HCV doe's have many symptoms. It is not asymptomatic as the specialists thought.

I have known many who had no idea they were infected and I know many who knew something was wrong but went undiagnosed and I know many who have known they had HCV for years. Most of those I know who have HCV are veterans. From 90 years old down to the newly inlisted. The jetshot gun is to blame. There are even those who had no idea that as a child of the 70's they contracted hcv via the same proceedure-jetshot guns and mass innoculations.

Your best bet is to offer to take your sister-n-law to the doctor for her next visit and ask questions. More than likely he will give you the same answer as a couple of us did.

HCV is not transmitted unless there is blood present, entering the bloodstream of the other. HCV corpuscles found in semen, vaginal fluid, tears or other bodily fluids like saliva are NOT transmittable.

I would further like to state that HCV is classified under the same viral family (flavi-virus family) as chicken pox, herpies, mono, cold/fever blisters, yellow and dengue fevers-all contagious, yet differently acquired.

If you've ever had a peircing done, a tattoo, a dental visit (prior to 1995) any surgery prior to 1995 or get your nails done, you may have HCV. Sharing a razor, toothbrush-anything that might of resulted in someone cutting themselves or poking themselves and leaving the smallest amount of blood on it and then cutting or jabbing or brushing your teeth with the same object-even paper-resulting in a paper cut! Handling money then picking your nose to where you bleed can result in HCV infection as HCV can reconstitute once moisture is added. (I'm going a little far here, but it's possible!) The other ways of getting HCV, through blood or bi-products of blood, ie, blood transfusions (risk is relatively low due to proper handling and testing of blood), skin grafts....things shared between addicts-even a cocaine straw!

Get tested.
Good luck and ask the specialist next time she has an appointment.

Answer 2

Most cases of acute hepatitis C are not treated as the person either does not have any symptoms or mistakes the symptoms for the flu.
If hepatitis C is detected during this acute phase, it is normally recommended that you are monitored for three months to see if your body fights off the virus.

To know more details how to improve liver , you can refer to :http://adola.net/go/fattyliver-bible/

Hope this useful!

Answer 3

Hi nicole, Hepatitis C is a blood borne disease. This means for transmission to take place the virus must be transfered from one person to another via exchange of blood. This can happen during anal sex because there is the great danger of membranes being torn. There is less danger during normal intercourse though, however, it's advisable to use a condom.

Answer 4

Hep.C is an infectious disease that is only passed blood to blood.You should not share razors toothbrushes finger nail clippers or any other thing where blood can be present.There are allot of uneducated answers here and it is scary to think people have these views and state them without factual knowledge.You cannot get it from casual contact, a toilet seat or any of that stuff. Blood to blood. It is important that you sit down with a professional and get the info you need to put your mind at ease and then sit down with your sister in law and discuss precautions to take and teach your children not to handle other peoples personal stuff weather they have a known disease or not. I have Hep.C and I only test positive for the anti-body and no live virus.I have never given it to anyone in the 10 years I've tested positive ,including my children, grandchildren and any one I have came in contact with.Find out the facts and also there are so many people with it that everyone comes in contact with someone positive everyday. Maybe even your doctor.Do what you need to do to put your mind at ease and don't feel bad for doing so. They are your children and only you can decide what to do with the correct information.

Answer 5

The only way you are going to be comfortable with this issue is to have a talk with you, your sister, and a gastroenterologist or liver specialist. The health of your children is what you are worried about and unless you have the facts from a true experts mouth, you will not rest easy. It might cost you a couple hundred to sit with the specialists, but in the long run, if it's something you can afford, you will know exactly what your limits are and you and your sister can come to an agreement on interaction with your kids.

Answer 6

Hepatitis in any of its forms is not good. But I don't believe the kids can catch it from her.

As I understand Hepatitis, it is transmitted basically the same way HIV is--by coming in contact with bodily fluids. That includes blood, sweat, saliva.

I think the kids would be ok if she's just watching them. But I wouldn't want to trust giving them a kiss on the cheek.

My husband and I unfortunately contracted one of the Hepatitises 3 years ago. He got it from a friend of his we later found out was shooting drugs, then I got it from kissing him. My husband didn't have hardly any problems with it other than the typical yellow eyes. I had a more severe reaction to it, that put me in the hospital for a couple days. But we both weathered through it ok, and are fine now.

But I don't know which version we had, and I don't know which version is the more serious one.

I would do some research on it via Google, or try WebMD.com.

You need to know the facts from the experts. You need to know if it is the real serious version or the mild version.

That will determine how concerned you should be about her being around your kids.

Answer 7

You should have some concerns.

"In general, you contract hepatitis C by coming in contact with blood contaminated with the virus. Most people with hepatitis C became infected through blood transfusions received before 1992, the year improved blood-screening tests became available.

You can also contract the virus by injecting drugs with contaminated needles and, less commonly, from contaminated needles used in tattooing and body piercing. Needle exchange programs, which increase the availability of sterile needles, are helping to reduce the risk of hepatitis C, HIV and other blood-borne diseases.

A small percentage of babies born to mothers with hepatitis C acquire the infection during childbirth. Mother-to-infant transmission rates are higher among women infected with both hepatitis C and HIV. Talk with your doctor about these risks before becoming pregnant.

In rare cases, hepatitis C may be transmitted sexually. And in many people infected with hepatitis C, no risk factor can be identified."

Your sister-in-law should follow these guidelines:

Cover open wounds, don't share razors or manicure tools.

# Practice safe sex.

# Don't share needles, razors, toothbrushes, manicure tools or other items that could bear contaminated blood.

# Don't allow yourself to be pierced with non-sterile equipment.

# Limit alcohol intake.

# Never share IV drug needles or other drug equipment.

This type of hepatitis is caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV)
HCV is spread primarily by exposure to human blood. Approximately 80 percent of persons who share needles to inject drugs are infected with HCV. Persons who receive blood transfusions face some risk, although it is very low since testing of donated blood for HCV began in 1990. Hepatitis C has been transmitted between sex partners and among household members, but the degree of risk is believed to be low. HCV is not spread by food or water or casual contact, such as shaking hands or sharing a work space or bathroom facility."The most effective means of preventing hepatitis C is to avoid contact with human blood.

Answer 8

Yes , you have a right to be concerned; more likely for your children's health. Your sister inlaw should still be allowed to watch your children. The question you should be asking yourself is: Is she a responsible person I can trust who will make the right decessions when the time comes. Hepatits C is a virus that is primarily transmitted through blood. HCV exposure in a household is rare. If HCV is spread within a household, it is most likely due to direct exposure to the blood of an infected household member. HCV is not spread by sneezing, hugging, coughing, food or water, sharing eating utensils or drinking glasses, or casual contact. Persons should not be excluded from work, school, play, child-care or other settings on the basis of their HCV infection status. For more information visit the following link.

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hepatitis/c/faq.htm#1a

Answer 9

Certainly you should be concerned about your s-i-l's well-being, but do not be concerned about her passing hep C on to your children. It is a blood-borne disease. She can spread it only if she is bleeding and it somehow gets into an open cut or scrape on someone else. She probably already knows to have Band-Aids handy and to use one if she has even a paper cut.

Answer 10

Anyone who comes in contact with you or your kids may have Hep c and you may never know it. In fact, many people have hep c and don't know it because it can have such mild symptoms or no symptoms at all. That's why it's so dangerous; people may have it for decades and not find out until the liver is damaged.
As for your question; of course you should be concerned, but to what degree depends on your sister in law's knowledge of the disease. Is she aware of how it's spread? (Contrary to some of the answers you've received, it is not spread by sweat, saliva, giving your kids a kiss, or any other means except for BLOOD TO BLOOD TRANSMISSION). That means if she cuts herself, she will have to clean up and bandage her cut. Your children should be taught to never touch anyone else's blood, and to use universal precautions when they must deal with blood. People with hep c are not precluded from any type of work , so your doctor, nurse, child's teacher, chef at your favorite restaurant may have hep C. Your children are not in danger as long as any accidental cuts, etc do not come in contact with your child's blood (as in an open wound).
To clarify the differences between the different types of hepatitis, Hep A is transferred by fecal/ oral route (poor handwashing after using the bathroom). That's how restaurants can spread Hep A by an infected employee not washing hands. People with hep A ARE precluded from working with food, with patients, and in many other circumstances because it is so highly contagious. Hep A is acute only; you get it, get very sick, and in most cases recover (some people die from it!).
Hep B is highly sexually contagious as well as from blood to blood, too, but not from casual contact. It can be acute, but in 20% of those cases, it can go on to chronic infection causing liver damage.
Hep C, on the other hand, is chronic in 80% of the people who become infected with it. It is hard to transmit sexually, unless there is an exchange of blood (anal sex, rough sex) and is not transmitted by casual contact (drinking from someone's glass, kissing, etc).
There is a lot of unnecessary stigma out there due to a lack of education. Please discuss this and your concerns with your sister in law. If she is not educated about this disease, then together you can get information from reputable sources such as hcvadvocate.org, hepfi.org, or google to find others. Best wishes to you, your SIL, and your kids.