Humboldt County’s Rate of New Cases of Hep C Nearly 3 Times State Average

Press release from the Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services:

Humboldt County Department of Health & (and) Human Services DHHSMillions of people in the U.S. live with chronic hepatitis, and according to the California Department of Public Health, Humboldt County’s rate of new cases of hepatitis C is nearly three times the state average.

An estimated 7,530 county residents were living with the virus in 2017—nearly 1 out of every 18 people.

The Humboldt County Department of Health & Human Services’ (DHHS) Public Health Branch says education and prevention can go a long way toward bringing these numbers down.

The three most common types of hepatitis are A, B and C. A and B are both vaccine-preventable, but there is no vaccine for hepatitis C. There are also no vaccines for hepatitis D and E, which are less prevalent.

Hepatitis C is a treatable and largely curable liver disease that is most commonly spread when people share needles or other equipment used to inject drugs. Many people show no symptoms or experience only mild symptoms and do not realize they have the virus. Chronic hepatitis C can lead to liver cancer and cirrhosis, or scarring of the liver, and even death.

Public Health is working closely with community partners to provide education about prevention and harm reduction efforts as well as encouraging people to get tested and seek treatment,” said DHHS Public Health Director Michele Stephens.

She said Public Health has a Syringe Services Program that provides information about overdose prevention, referrals to treatment programs, hepatitis C testing and treatment referrals, needle exchange and disposal, and other services, which can be useful to combat the spread of the virus.

For more information about hepatitis C prevention, transmission, testing and treatment options, contact your health care provider or the North Coast AIDs Project at 707-441-5074 or visit https://humboldtgov.org/NorCAP.

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Central HumCo
Guest
5 years ago

Not a very good track record for the 1,000 employed at a self-proclaimed health service.

I take everything from the Federal Finger of the Health & Human Resource Services with a grain of salt.

Hepatitis C ? – oh paaleeez! As like the Bi-polar dis-ease, Hep. C is a for-profit designer disease.

Maybe it’ll become a Pandemic!

Diesel Dually
Guest
Diesel Dually
5 years ago
Reply to  Central HumCo

Check out a patient who is dying of Hep C. Most of them have a horrible time, and nobody in the hospital wants to go near the patient.

If you think it’s a joke, I hope you don’t die this way.

At the end, all healthcare can do is give more drugs and make the patient comfortable.

Road Weary
Guest
Road Weary
5 years ago
Reply to  Central HumCo

CentralHumCo: Thank you for you intelligent and well informed comment on such an important issue. You truly should run for president.

Soon-to-be Former County Supervisor Ryan Dumberg
Guest
Soon-to-be Former County Supervisor Ryan Dumberg
5 years ago
Reply to  Road Weary

Road Weary, nice sarcastic comment!

Guest
Guest
Guest
5 years ago
Reply to  Central HumCo

Boy, what hole did you crawl out of? I have seen more than one person die of Hep C and it’s not pretty.

Central HumCo
Guest
5 years ago
Reply to  Guest

Those suffering and dying of something labeled Hep C, is the same as not recognizing cancer as a fungus, or lab-created AIDS for what it is. $$$$

‘run for president’ of a corporation . . . and you believe i crawled out of a hole?

Veterans friend
Guest
Veterans friend
5 years ago
Reply to  Central HumCo

My dear friend’s mother died from hep-C. She was not a druggie. It was horrible. You have some serious organ damage yourself. No heart, no brain.

Soon-to-be Former County Supervisor Ryan Dumberg
Guest
Soon-to-be Former County Supervisor Ryan Dumberg
5 years ago
Reply to  Central HumCo

Central HumCo, “Health & Human Resource Services”??? Did Trump create a new Federal Dept? Or are you simply unaware of the correct name of the current Dept? Look it up. 👀

Guest
Guest
Guest
5 years ago

The great thing is that risk of hospital acquired hep c is increased too. Hooray for us.

Get some
Guest
Get some
5 years ago
Reply to  Guest

Not true. Working in the medical field that is a thing of the past. This occurrence that your speaking about happened in the 60’s due to Vietnam vets that shot up heroin during the war and blood was at a demand but not tested!

707
Guest
707
5 years ago
Reply to  Get some

Not true. The bulk of hep c from the Nam era was from the use of airguns to inoculate the troops.

Guest
Guest
Guest
5 years ago
Reply to  Get some

“The largest reported hepatitis C outbreak occurred in Nevada. In 2008, 63,000 patients were notified of possible exposure to HIV and hepatitis B and C after having surgical procedures at an endoscopy center in Las Vegas. At least 116 case of hep C were linked to this center, primarily due to unsafe injection procedures.”

https://www.hepmag.com/blog/hepatitis-c-medically-acquired

“TACOMA, Wash. — The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department said Wednesday that, in addition to the two confirmed cases, they have found seven “probable” positive cases of hepatitis C from their investigation into the spread of the virus at Multicare Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup.”

http://q13fox.com/2018/05/09/7-probable-cases-of-hepatitis-c-found-in-ex-hospital-patients-12-other-positive-test-cases-still-under-investigation/

Get some
Guest
Get some
5 years ago

Harvony, Viekra pak a treatment for three months has saved a lot of livers. Unfortunately needles with heroin and other illegal substances has led to this. Hep c is rarely transferd by sexual contact. This statistic is low, more like one in three. Everyone in there thirty and forty’s I highly recommend getting an easy blood test, bad liver leads to many other health problems. Social services will help people that want to be helped.

Adam Harrold
Guest
Adam Harrold
5 years ago

Had a friend who got it from a human bite wound. It killed him.

Veterans friend
Guest
Veterans friend
5 years ago

Two responses:
Universal health care/single payer
Needle exchange

DELUSIONAL LIBERAL
Guest
DELUSIONAL LIBERAL
5 years ago

Government is the problem. DHHS is the problem. Free needle exchange would not exist if this bloated government bureaucracy didn’t exist. AND more people are doing drugs to escape their reality of more and more bad government!!!! [edit]

Nemo
Guest
Nemo
5 years ago

Hep C and HIV ARE stoppable with individual diligence and responsibility. Not to mention self care.

Don’t believe what I post; or, anyone else.

Do your own IN-DEPTH research.

Ninya
Guest
Ninya
3 years ago

The needle program is to blame. the only way this disease is contracted these days is through dirty needles and they keep giving them tons and tons of them to people who are high on drugs and share needles. If you just kept the needles away from them the rates would go down.