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Each hour of
every day, three people die from
Hepatitis C or it's related conditions!
Two of these people have Military backgrounds.
Click Here- View Slide Show
The VA
Testimony before the Subcommittee on Benefits Committee
on Veterans’ Affairs, U.S. House of Representatives,
April 13, 2000, Gary A. Roselle, M. D., Program Director
for Infectious Diseases, Veterans Health Administration,
Department of Veterans Affairs, state, "One in 10 US
Veterans are infected with HCV", a rate 5 times
greater than the 1.8% infection rate of the general
population."
A study
conducted in 1999, by the Veterans Health Administration
(VHA), and involving 26,000 veterans shows that up to
10% of all veterans in the VHA system tested positive
for hepatitis C.
Of the total
number of persons who were hepatitis C antibody
positive, and reported an era of service, 62.7% were
noted to be from the Vietnam. The second most frequent
group is listed as post-Vietnam at 18.2%, followed by
4.8% Korean conflict, 4.3% post-Korean conflict, 4.2%
from WWII, and 2.7% Persian
Gulf era veterans.[1],
The Statistics
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Veterans
who served in Vietnam accounted for more than
60% of all positive test results. More than
half of all liver transplant patients within the
Veterans Health Administration are the result of
the hepatitis C virus (HCV). Millions of veterans
from all wars were infected and most do not know it.[14]
Veterans will not get tested because they don't
think they were exposed to risk factors stated by
the Veterans Affairs Department and the Centers for
Disease Control (CDC).
The
factors for HCV transmission listed by both
agencies, predominately focus on drugs, drug
paraphernalia, sexually activities and alcohol as
screening tools to test patients.
These
Agencies fail to mention, no universal precautions
for medical personnel were in place until 1996.
Prior to that, it was common practice for medical
personnel to reuse devices such as the jetguns,
needles and vials that held the vaccine.
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The use
of mass inoculations can not be overlooked within
this past half century. First the Military used
glass syringe needles, switching to stainless steel,
Both types were reused and could not be sterilized
because products did not exist that would kill the
virus. [13] . In
compliance, most health care providers
did not wear gloves during dental and medial
procedures.
Korea
and Vietnam Veterans also reflect the improved
"medical delivery capabilities", for providing
medical attention. Much needed blood for wounded
soldiers were delivered as quickly as possible.
Experimental Vaccines, like the Meningitis and
Hepatitis B, containing human blood bi-products,
became routine. .[15]
Military and dependents were also vaccinated with
pneumatic air guns (jet guns), proven to spread
hepatitis [3]. They
also received the small pox vaccine administered
with the special needle, used over and over again,
along with the vial that contained the vaccine.[16]
Veterans shared, among themselves, friends and
family members, grooming items like toothbrushes,
manicure sets, razors and other personal devices
that carry the possibility to retain blood. Many
Veterans donated blood after returning home and felt
it was their duty to do so. |
For
more information, go to: http://www.hcvets.com
Last Updated ( Sunday, 02 March 2008 ) |
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