What We Need to Know about Hepa C

As much as we want to be healthy and well, there are times that diseases will get the best of us. What we can do is to continuously observe healthy lifestyle as well as going to the doctors for screening. If in this case we are worried about Hepa C, this is the time that we learn everything about it.

The Singapore General Hospital (SGH) declared on October 23, 2015 that they screened two people who were Hepatitis C positive. According to the chairman of SGH, these patients are undergoing appropriate and timely medical care. SGH is continuing the screening.

There are people who do not understand or know Hepa C. This is the time that they learn the basics of Hepa C. Hepa C is an infection of the liver caused by a virus. There are different forms of Hepa C virus and the most common is the type 1. Here are some things that we need to know about it:

• Symptoms: We have to know that many people with Hepa C have no clear symptoms but we should still be vigilant. We can look for different indications like jaundice (a condition that leads to the patient’s yellowish skin and eyes). If we constantly feel stomach pain, nausea, fatigue and loss of appetite, it is time that we go to our doctors and get screened.

• How we catch it: As much as possible, we do not want to catch Hepa C but sometimes because of our actions, we get it unknowingly. We have to know how we can catch it so we can avoid it before it is too late. We can get it through body or blood infusions. Apart from that, we can also catch it through sharing needles and drugs. At some point, babies get Hepa C because of their mother. Hepa C is not spread through water or food contact.
• The victims: SGH is urging the public to get tested especially if they received blood from a donor who had the virus, who are born to a mother with the virus or those who have been on kidney dialysis for a long time.
• Diagnosis: Diagnosis is not that complicated and long. Doctors will usually require us to submit to a blood test and they can diagnose it right away.
• Treatment: For a clearer discussion of treatments and options, we can easily talk to our doctors. In America, Hepa C is cured through a pill called Harvoni.

Now that we know about Hepa C, understanding it is easy. If we know someone who is suffering from one, we can offer nothing but our understanding and support.