Friday, February 19, 2010

Time for Education


BECOME AN ORGAN DONOR EDUCATE YOURSELF ABOUT HEP C

GET TESTED FOR HEPATITIS
If you have had tattoos, or body piercings, you are at risk for Hep C. THERE IS NO CURE, no vaccines. Treatment is expensive and not available to all, and for most it is NOT EFFECTIVE.

Approx. 10,000 people die annually from this disease. It is the number one reason for Liver Transplants in the United States. Even if you get a liver transplant, all it does is "buy you time", the Hepatitis C Virus remains in your system and attacks your new liver. You are not "cured". Over 4 million people have Hep C, and approx another 150 million people have Hepatitis C and don't even know it. DO YOU??????

A simple blood test ordered by your physician can detect Hepatitis C. You may have to ask for it, as many doctors do not include it in routine lab work.

The blood supply from the Red Cross was NOT safe until June of 1992. Prior to that if you received a transfusion or blood products, you should be tested. Hep C can lay dormant in your body for up to 20 years before it starts to destroy your liver.
If you were ever in the military and received vaccinations via the air gun, you should be checked for Hepatitis C.

Over 1,780 people in the state of Maryland are infected with Hepatitis C. If You ever inhaled drugs through a straw or shared needles, you should be tested for Hepatitis C.

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