Where Can I Get Sterile Injecting Equipment While This Is Going On
Many Needle and Syringe Program outlets in NSW are changing the way they work with clients and customers. Some injecting equipment can be sent in the post, you can pick up bulk orders, and some opening times might have changed.
The NSP directory can help you find the nearest place to pick up injecting equipment > > > CLICK HERE.Call to see if anything has changed.
You can also contact NUAA who may be able to help out with any injecting equipment needs you might have. NUAA are currently taking mail orders. Call them on 1800 644 413 or contact via their website.
What Does It Mean When Different Types Of Blood Tests For Hepatitis C Give Different Results
The first test your provider probably will perform is called an “antibody” test. A positive result means that you were exposed to the hepatitis C virus at some point in your life.
If the result is positive, your provider will perform a second test called hepatitis C virus RNA to see if the virus is still in your body. If the RNA test result is positive, then you have chronic hepatitis C infection.
So what does it mean if you have a positive result for the first test but a negative result for the second?
Where Should I Donate Plasma
Choosing the best plasma donation site largely depends on your location. Naturally, you want to select a plasma facility close by and convenient for you to visit in person. Another factor to consider is the compensation and whether the site offers first-time donor bonuses and promotions. By researching these benefits in advance, you can maximize the amount of payment you receive for your donations.
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You Are Taking Certain Medications Or Antibiotics
What medications disqualify you from donating blood? Frankly, because there are so many medications this question is one of the more complex ones to answer regarding giving blood restrictions and rules. As a general rule, most OTC medications will not disqualify you from giving blood. If you take prescription medications, look at the ARCs list of medications to see if your medication may defer your donation.
The following are the most frequently discussed medications when it come to giving blood restriction:
- Aspirin: If you take Aspirin or medications containing Aspirin, you will likely be allowed to donate whole blood. If you wish to donate only platelets, you will need to wait the space of two full days between the last time you took a pill and the day you donate blood.
- Blood thinners: Since blood thinners affect the ability of your blood to clot, individuals taking certain types of blood thinners will not be allowed to donate.
- Birth control pills:Women taken birth control are eligible to donate blood.
- Insulin: Diabetics using insulin are eligible to donate blood so long as their diabetes is well under control.
For most antibiotics, wait until you have completed the full course of antibiotics if you are taking oral medication, and wait until 10 days after the last injection if youre receiving antibiotics by injection.
Viral Loads During Treatment
Checking your virus count before, during, and after treatment tells your doctor if and how well your drugs are working. A rising viral load doesnât always mean youâre getting sicker, and a drop in the virus count isnât a sign that youâre on your way to being cured.
Unlike with HIV, where lower viral counts usually mean longer, healthier life, HCV viral loads donât say much about how fast your hep C is progressing or how your disease might turn out. For that, your doctor will need to check your liver enzymes and your liver tissues and run other tests.
Usually, your hep C treatment will be the same no matter how high or low your viral load is. Your doctor will use your virus levels to monitor how you respond to the medication. The drugs youâre prescribed will depend less on your viral count than on your overall health, genetic makeup of your HCV, and other things.
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You Can Still Get Hep C Again
Hepatitis C is unlike many viruses you may be familiar with, since you can still become re-infected even after youve been cured. And, unfortunately, there is no vaccine on the horizon.
The antibody you get from hepatitis C is not protective, says Menon. Just because you got it once doesnt mean you cant get it again.
To avoid getting re-infected, its important to take all the steps youd take to avoid the virus in the first place. For example, dont share razors or syringes, and avoid sharing toothbrushes with people whove been diagnosed with hepatitis C. Its also a good idea to ask your partner to be tested for hepatitis C. The risk of sexual transmission is very low, but if your partner has hepatitis C they should get treated as well, says Menon.
What Are The Requirements For Donating Covid
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the following are the requirements for donating COVID-19 convalescent plasma:
- You must be fully recovered from COVID-19 for at least two weeks.
- You must be eligible to donate blood in general.
- You must have a prior diagnosis of COVID-19 documented by a laboratory test.
- You must meet other convalescent plasma donor qualifications.
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Can You Donate Plasma If You Have Hepatitis C
According to the American Red Cross, any person who has ever tested positive for Hepatitis C cannot donate plasma. This is because antibodies can be harmful to the person receiving the plasma.
Since 1991, the Public Health Service has recommended testing all whole blood and plasma donations for Hepatitis C, according to a 2020 report in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Can I Get Reinfected With Hepatitis C
If you become infected with hepatitis C infection and then clear the virus , yes, it is possible for you to become infected again.
The chance of another infection with hepatitis C is much, much less than the chance of a first-time infection, but it is not impossible. It has happened in people who continue to use injection drugs, and some studies suggest that it happens even more often in people who are also HIV positive.
In other words, having had hepatitis C once does not make you “immune” to getting hepatitis C again.
The best way to avoid reinfection is to reduce risky behaviors that can result in exposure to the hepatitis C virus: Do not use injection drugs, do not share needles for any reason, avoid blood-to-blood exposures with others, and use condoms if you are sexually active with a new partner or with a partner who has used injection drugs.
The research in this area is ongoing, and we will continue to learn more about this very important topic. But for now, preventing re-exposure to the hepatitis C virus is the only sure way of avoiding infection and reinfection with hepatitis C.
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Can You Donate Plasma If You Have Hep C
5/5HCVIfyou woulddonating plasmaIf youyou dodonate plasma
Regarding this, can you donate blood if you have hep C?
If you currently have hepatitis C, you are not permitted to donate blood. This is because the hepatitis C virus is transmitted through blood and anyone who would receive your blood would be exposed to the virus.
Beside above, can you donate blood if you had hepatitis? However, according to current guidelines, you can donate blood if you have had non-viral hepatitis from toxic exposure, drug reaction, or alcohol use so long as there are no symptoms of hepatitis at the time of the donation.
Simply so, what do they test you for when you donate plasma?
Donated Plasma ScreeningOnce received from the collection centres, all donated plasma undergoes individual unit testing for antibodies against HIV-1/2, HBV, HCV and syphilis. Plasma also undergoes PCR testing for HIV, HBV, HCV and parvovirus B19.
Do they drug test blood donations?
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER YOUR DONATION. To protect patients, your blood is tested for several types of hepatitis, HIV, syphilis, and other infections. If your blood tests positive, it will not be given to a patient. There are times when your blood is not tested.
Can I Drink Alcohol Once In A While If I Have Hepatitis C
Alcohol can clearly contribute to worsening liver disease. You must discuss with your health care provider if any amount of alcohol is safe for you.
Alcohol can cause inflammation and scarring in the liver. If you have any underlying liver condition, such as hepatitis C or hepatitis B or damage from long-term alcohol use, your liver will be more sensitive to alcohol. When you have hepatitis C virus, alcohol on top of the hepatitis C can cause the inflammation and scarring to be worse, and overall damage to the liver may happen much faster when you drink alcohol.
Here is some helpful information about alcohol and hepatitis:
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I Have Hepatitis C And I’m Thinking About Having Children What Should I Know
Hepatitis C does not prevent a man or woman from having children.
The hepatitis C virus infection does not cause infertility in either sex–it does not affect a woman’s ovarian or uterine function, or a man’s sperm production or sperm characteristics.
If you are a woman with hepatitis C, talk to your provider about treatment before pregnancy. Treatment before pregnancy can help reduce the risk of hepatitis C transmission to your baby. If you are already pregnant, treatment will usually take place after pregnancy and you may need to be tested for hepatitis C again prior to starting treatment.
If you are a man with hepatitis C, talk to your provider about being treated prior to conceiving. Although the risk of transmission during sex is low, it is still important to treat hepatitis C for your personal health.
Blood Screening In The United States
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration , through the Center for Biologics and Research , is responsible for ensuring the safety of the roughly 19 million units of whole blood donated in the United States each year.
To keep the blood supply safe, the FDA has established regulations to screen donors before a donation and to screen donated blood after it has been received by blood banks. To help with this, an extensive questionnaire is given to donors to collect information about their medical history and any risk factors that may exclude them from donating.
Blood received from donors then undergoes routine screening for the following blood-transmitted infections:
- Hepatitis B
- Zika virus
Any donated blood is quarantined until it is tested and shown to be free of infection.
Due to advanced blood screening practices, the risk of the accidental transmission of hepatitis B and C from contaminated blood is less than one in 500,000 and one in two million transfused units, respectively.
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I Have Hep C So Are There Extra Precautions I Need To Take Against Covid
TAKE THE SAME PRECAUTIONS AS EVERYONE. We all need to take precautions to stop the spread of COVID-19, whether we have hep C or not, for our health and for our community as a whole.
You should take extra precautions to protect yourself from COVID-19 if you: have an additional health condition are over 70 are over 50 and Aboriginal have a weakened immune system.
Follow Government advice on keeping safe and stopping the spread of COVID-19 > > > CLICK HERE
Important Information About Your Test Results
The tests performed on your donation have given positive results for HCV. This means that you are infected with the hepatitis C virus. Unlike antibodies to other infections, the HCV antibody does not always overcome the virus and eliminate it from your body. It does not provide immunity to hepatitis C virus infection.
About 70% of people who have been infected with hepatitis C virus become persistently infected and will have the virus in their liver for most of their lives.
There is a blood test for the virus itself which will also have been done on your blood sample. If this test is positive then you are still infected with hepatitis C virus. If the test is negative, you may have overcome the virus, but still have the antibodies. It is important to repeat the virus test before assuming that the infection has gone.
Because the virus is also in the blood, it can be passed on to the recipient of blood transfusion. The tests do not give any information about when or how you became infected, or whether your liver is inflamed or not. Other tests should be performed which will give much more information about your health.
If you are a health care worker and have a positive HCV test result, you should contact your occupational health adviser, particularly if you perform exposure-prone procedures. For most people there are no occupational health issues and other people do not need to know.
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You May Not Feel Any Different
If you experience symptoms of hepatitis C , it may take a few weeks or months after you finish your treatment to feel better if you notice any changes at all.
There arent many symptoms directly related to hepatitis C, says K. V. Narayanan Menon, MD, a hepatologist and the medical director of liver transplantation at Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland. Fatigue is one that seems to be fairly common. its not like with an ear infection, where you take antibiotics and it gets better. You may not see the change.
How can you be sure that youve been cured? Before your treatment, doctors test your blood for active hepatitis C. Theyll then test you again at the end of your treatment and often one more time a month later to be sure youre cured. Somewhere between 95 to 99 percent of people are considered cured after just one round of treatment, says Dr. Menon.
What Other Conditions Does Blood Screening Identify
donate organs to people who do not have these antibodies.
Before this, organ transplants from people with HCV were allowed, but under the label of increased risk. In 2017, the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network reported that doctors were less likely to use organs from increased risk donors.
The OPTN added that this is likely based on a misconception of what the term means, as studies have shown that people who receive organs from increased risk donors have equal or better post-graft survival rates than those with non-increased risk transplants.
The new stress the continuing importance of testing, informed consent from the recipient, and follow-up tests to determine the HCV status of the recipient after transplant.
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Complete Care And Our Patients Thank You For Donating Blood
Complete Care and our patients thank you for donating blood! Like all emergency rooms, Complete Care relies on donated blood to help save the lives of our patients. Just one donation can help save up to three lives! Blood cells, platelets, plasma its all useful and potentially life-saving. Find a local blood drive near you and schedule a date to donate today. And thank you, from the bottom of our hearts!
If you find yourself feeling especially ill after a blood donation, Complete Care is here to help. We are open 24/7 and welcome walk-ins. We are here for any of your health concerns. Visit your nearest Complete Care location today for quick, efficient, patient-centered care today.
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What Are The Dos And Donts Before Donating Blood
Have you explored the ins and out of giving blood restrictions, know youre eligible to donate, but not sure how to proceed with preparing to donate? There are several steps you can take to ensure that your donation goes smoothly. The American Red Cross provides a guide for first-time donors and a FAQ list. Complete Care has also created a handy guide for what to do before giving blood.
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