Hepatitis C Research Paper

In addition, a report by the world health organization indicated that each year there is about three to four million new cases of hepatitis C (Mohamed, 2015). The infectious viral hepatitis C is one of the most common blood-borne infection in the united states. According to CDC, hepatitis c killed more Americans than any infectious disease. Data released by the CDC indicated that Hepatitis c related deaths hit an all-time high in the year 2014 of 19,659. Centers for disease control and prevention indicated that there about three million American who are infected with hepatitis c. It will also discuss one screening test and review its sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, cost and current national guidelines for conducting the test. The paper will also include how I will address this epidemiological disease once I finish my degree.

This will include 3 action plans with information on how I will measure the outcomes. Hepatitis C is a viral infection that affects the liver and is spread primarily through contact with the blood of an infected person. The severity of hepatitis ranges from a few weeks to a lifelong disease with serious impacts. However, they may have other diseases like liver cirrhosis, liver failure, and cancer. These conditions can be very fatal to their health. Diseases caused by chronic hepatitis C are the leading cause of liver transplants in the United States. Some of the risk factors in hepatitis c include being a recipient of donated blood, blood products, or organs from someone infected with hepatitis C. This can most likely happen if you receive the above products from before 1992 when there was no blood screening in America.

An estimated three million people have acute hepatitis in the United States (CDC, 2018). Miami Dade county health department has a hepatitis program which is responsible for conducting surveillance. This is done in an effort to ensure that outbreaks can be detected and control measures are put in place immediately to control the spread of hepatitis. In Miami –Dade County, health providers are required to report all hepatitis cases to Epidemiology, Disease Control, and Immunization Services. This is the enable reporting and control of the disease. It has been named as the biggest contributor of deaths among all the infectious diseases in America (CDC, 2018). It’s estimated that about three million people are infected with hepatitis. However, CDC suggests that the number could go up because investigators did not report on incarcerated people, nursing homes residents, people on active military duty and the hospitalized.

Hepatitis c is most prevalent in Americans who were born between 1945 -1965. According to CDC, three-fourths of the American people with Hepatitis were born between the years 1945-1965. Most of these people are not aware that they have hepatitis and therefore spread of the disease becomes rapid. Again, other people who can help in the prevention plan include drug users. Recently, injection drug use accounts for about 60 % of all Hepatitis cases in the United States. By helping these people and creating awareness, the spread of hepatitis among the youth can be reduced. (CDC, 2018). People with hepatitis may suffer from stigma due to society assumptions. On the fact that hepatitis can spread through contact, People avoid interacting with hepatitis patients in fear of contracting the disease.

Again, hepatitis comes with depression. This is can be attributed to the high medical costs that can cause bankruptcy. Patients who do not have enough resource to cater for their needs may suffer from depression. When several regimens are at the same recommendation level, they are listed in alphabetical order. Regimen choice should be determined based on patient-specific data, including drug-drug interaction. Patients receiving antiviral therapy require careful pretreatment assessment for comorbidities that may influence treatment response. All patients require careful monitoring during treatment, particularly for anemia if ribavirin is included in the regimen. (AASLD, 2017) In Miami –Dade County, hepatitis C is a major health concern just as the rest of United States. This also helps people to be aware of how to keep themselves safe from the diseases.

Sensitization campaign will take place on physical and online platforms. The advantage of this plan is that many people will be reached across the Miami Dade County. Campaigns on drug abuse will promote in the number of people who are infected through the use of same syringes for injections. This specifically targets young people who are 15- 30 years. Health departments across the country should encourage screening and prevention of hepatitis. Surveillance methods used by national and state governments should be streamlined within the public health reporting laws to ensure that all cases are reported and followed up. One of the challenges identified in the paper is under-reporting of cases. This makes it hard for a stakeholder to come up with effective measures of addressing the issue.