The Perils of the Needle for Native Americans: Hepatitis B
and C
Methamphetamine users have
several different ways of taking crank.
One method of ingesting meth is intravenous use. This procedure puts a meth user at a high
risk. The users who inject meth are at
risk because of the dangers associated with sharing needles or other
equipment. Drug users who share drug
paraphernalia risk being infected with hepatitis C, hepatitis B, and HIV/AIDS. Intravenous meth users may not only be
infected with these non-curable diseases, but they also pass the diseases on to
others. This article will explain the dangers associated with Hepatitis B and
C.
In Montana, meth use is high
among Native Americans and often times associated with the transmission of
hepatitis C by intravenous use. Currently, the state of Montana does not have
the program funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention called the
"Needle Exchange Programs."
This program is a preventative program that counters the risks
associated with sharing dirty needles by providing the users with clean
needles.
Since the state of Montana
does not have a program, many Native American intravenous meth users get their
needles by stealing from a person in their family who is diabetic and uses
insulin needles.
What is hepatitis?
Hepatitis is an inflammatory
condition of the liver, characterized by jaundice and cirrhosis. There are five
different types of hepatitis: A, B, C, D & E.
Hepatitis B
One of the most common and
serious infectious diseases in the world is hepatitis B. It is 100 times more
infectious than the AIDS virus (HIV). The mode of transmission is through
infected blood transfusion and other infected body fluids (seminal fluid,
vaginal secretions, breast milk, tears, saliva and open sores). The main risk
of transmission is blood-to-blood contact through the sharing of needles by
drug users, who may not know they are infectious. Health workers are also at
risk through accidental needle stick injury.
Women who are carriers may infect their babies before or at birth. In
approximately 30-40% of cases, the method of transmission is unknown.
Hepatitis B can be prevented
with a safe and effective vaccine. It
is recommended for infants and teenagers and adults at risk for exposure to get
vaccinated. It is known as the "Silent Infection" because the carrier
of hepatitis B virus (HBV) may not become noticeably sick and may not realize
they have the disease. Many people do
not have the symptoms when they are first infected. The symptoms are similar to having the flu, such as headache,
fever, chill, and general weakness.
Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C is another type
of hepatitis transmitted largely by blood transfusion or by sharing
needles. Hepatitis C is spread in blood.
This means that injecting drugs or tattooing may spread the infection. Since1990, all blood donations have been
tested for hepatitis C; however, before then, blood donations were never
screened for hepatitis C. This lack of screening was the cause transmission of
the disease through blood transfusions.
Hepatitis C is easily spread by sexual contact, but it does not seem to
spread readily from mother to baby. It is also probably not easily spread by
the usual family and domestic contact.
In all circumstances, the risk of transmission may be higher if a person
has acute hepatitis C.
There are two types of
hepatitis C. The first one is called acute hepatitis C which is a short-lived
illness with jaundice (yellow skin and eyes), nausea, and a general feeling of
being unwell. Most people recover
completely from this illness. Chronic
hepatitis C infection in most people causes mild damage to their liver. Many have no symptoms at all, and if they
do, they have mild abdominal discomfort, feel tired, or are occasionally
nauseated. Over many years, the virus
can cause slow ongoing damage and scarring (cirrhosis) of the liver. This scarring appears to be more common if
there is another cause of liver damage, such as alcohol or hepatitis B
infection. The disease progresses to chronic hepatitis in up to 50% of the
patients acutely infected.
Prevention and Treatment of Hepatitis C
There is no vaccine
available to prevent hepatitis C infection like there is for hepatitis B. The people who should be tested for
hepatitis C include those who have injected drugs, had unprotected anal sex,
received blood transfusions before February 1990, and who have tattoos not
professional tattoos.