HEPATITIS C VIRUS

Subject : Science and tech 

Context: Harvey J Alter and Charles M Riceand Michael Houghton were awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine or Physiology on Monday for the discovery of the hepatitis C virus.

Concept:

What is Hepatitis?

• Hepatitis means inflammation of the liver. When the liver is inflamed or damaged, its function can be affected.
• Heavy alcohol use, toxins, some medications, and certain medical conditions can all cause hepatitis. However, hepatitis is often caused by a virus.
• The most common hepatitis viruses are hepatitis A virus, hepatitis B virus, and hepatitis C virus.

Difference between Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C

• Hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C are liver infections caused by three different viruses.
• Although each can cause similar symptoms, they are spread in different ways and can affect the liver differently.
• Hepatitis A is usually a short-term infection.
• Hepatitis B and hepatitis C can also begin as short-term infections(acute), but in some people, the virus remains in the body and causes chronic (long-term) infection.
• There are vaccines to prevent hepatitis A and hepatitis B; however, there is no vaccine for hepatitis C.

How Hepatitis C came to observation?

• The discovery and identification of the Hepatitis B virus facilitated the development of a diagnostic test to detect its presence in blood.
• Thereafter, only blood sanitized from this virus would be given to patients, but it was observed that even this sanitized blood was able to prevent only 20% of the blood-borne hepatitis cases.
• It was then that the search for the new virus began that led to dicovery of HepatitisC.

Transmission:

The hepatitis C virus is usually spread when someone comes into contact with blood from an infected person.This can happen through:

►Sharing drug-injection equipment : sharing needles, syringes, or any other equipment used to prepare and inject drugs.

►Birth – From Infected mother to baby.

►Healthcare exposures.- Unhealthy healthcare practices.

►Sex with an infected person. – Unprotected sexual intercourse.

►Unregulated tattoos or body piercings. – During blood transfusions.

►Sharing personal items : Ex : Glucose monitors, razors, nail clippers.

►Organ transplants.

Hepatitis C is not spread by sharing eating utensils, breastfeeding, hugging, kissing, holding hands, coughing, or sneezing. It is also not spread through food or water.