Hepatitis A,, B and C
- Thread starter ronroush7
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I don't think there is any such thing (yet) as hepatitis C shots, if by "shots" you mean a vaccine. The scientists are trying, but so far no effective vaccine for Hep C has been developed or licensed by the FDA. Hep A and B do have vaccines available.
Hep A, B, and C are unrelated viruses that all infect the liver. Hep A is sometimes called Infectious Hepatitis because it is spread through contaminated water or through contact with someone suffering from Hep A. Hep A is common in parts of Asia, so it is routine to get Hep A shots before visiting China.
Hep B and C are both so-called "blood viruses" that are spread by contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of infected people (similar to the ways in which HIV is spread). Both Hep B and C can develop into chronic infections which damage the liver over time and can lead to cirrhosis and even liver cancer. Hep C chronic infection is more common than Hep B.
The good news is that modern medicine has recently developed some miracle drug cures in pill form for chronic Hep C infection: Solvaldi, Harvoni, and others. The bad news is that these drugs are frightfully expensive. But they are still much cheaper than getting a liver transplant to replace a liver destroyed by decades of chronic infection.
The older treatment prior to these drugs involved getting interferon shots - perhaps these are the Hep C shots you are referring to. But the interferon therapy had dreadful side effects and isn't used as much any more if the new drugs are available.
Hep A, B, and C are unrelated viruses that all infect the liver. Hep A is sometimes called Infectious Hepatitis because it is spread through contaminated water or through contact with someone suffering from Hep A. Hep A is common in parts of Asia, so it is routine to get Hep A shots before visiting China.
Hep B and C are both so-called "blood viruses" that are spread by contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of infected people (similar to the ways in which HIV is spread). Both Hep B and C can develop into chronic infections which damage the liver over time and can lead to cirrhosis and even liver cancer. Hep C chronic infection is more common than Hep B.
The good news is that modern medicine has recently developed some miracle drug cures in pill form for chronic Hep C infection: Solvaldi, Harvoni, and others. The bad news is that these drugs are frightfully expensive. But they are still much cheaper than getting a liver transplant to replace a liver destroyed by decades of chronic infection.
The older treatment prior to these drugs involved getting interferon shots - perhaps these are the Hep C shots you are referring to. But the interferon therapy had dreadful side effects and isn't used as much any more if the new drugs are available.
I do not know if that is normal. It does seem to be in line though, with A, and then the B shot and then the C shot. Then again they did begin with C first. Possibly some are dyslexic at your doctors office?
Sorry. We in my family were just talking about hepatitis C yesterday. I had a great grandmother who's death certificate says she died from hep C. Many swear different about that cause though. My retired librarian mother recently got the notion after a chat with some doctors to test for hep c. Test results came back positive. Her liver is fine though so it's something to monitor. Apparently those taking harsh drugs tend to be the ones that experience liver issues, with possible transplants. About the worst mom does is a glass of wine Friday evening with friends - unless she is leading a secrete wild life, which I put down in the unlikely scheme of things.
Sorry. We in my family were just talking about hepatitis C yesterday. I had a great grandmother who's death certificate says she died from hep C. Many swear different about that cause though. My retired librarian mother recently got the notion after a chat with some doctors to test for hep c. Test results came back positive. Her liver is fine though so it's something to monitor. Apparently those taking harsh drugs tend to be the ones that experience liver issues, with possible transplants. About the worst mom does is a glass of wine Friday evening with friends - unless she is leading a secrete wild life, which I put down in the unlikely scheme of things.
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Hep B is very common to get vaccinated for, where I live it is on the routine vaccination schedule for everyone. Hep A is less so because it tends to be more common in places with lower sanitation levels (like mexico) because is is spread through contaminated food and water.m
