I found an article reported by ABC News.Com to be of importance and I wanted to pass it along to readers. New findings have indicated that as much as an accidental drop of hepatitis C virus (HCV) can remain on surfaces for up to a six week period when it is at room temperature, according to a study from Yale University schools of public health and medicine.
The above study was recently published in The Journal of Infectious Disease.
Tiny amounts of the virus were injected by scientist into human plasma and they measured its activity at different temperature settings. It was found that between 4 and 22 degrees Celsius, the virus remained infectious. Other fluctuating’s such as concentration of the virus and the humidity of the storage environment, also influenced the infectivity.
I’m constantly aware of my surroundings when my hands and body are concerned because of fears of contracting an infectious disease. There are many areas a person must take cautions with such as bathrooms, shopping carts, placing the hands on countertops and shelves in stores, medical and doctor clinics, door handles, stools, chairs, in gyms or anywhere or thing that is subjected to many hands and parts of the body areas.
People do not know when they go into a restroom what type of commercial antiseptics they’re using when they clean various areas and many times the disinfectant concentration in use has been diluted and it’s not a successful disinfectant.
Robert Heimer, the Yale School of Public Health Professor, said, “Findings clearly demonstrate that strict infection control practices and universal precautions are needed in the clinical setting to avoid contact with infectious agents such as HCV that can survive on surfaces;” and further saying, “The implications go beyond the clinic to the risk environment of people using syringes outside of the medical care settings. Unsafe practices, such as sharing of syringes by people who inject drugs or careless handling of human blood during home delivery of intravenous medications, can lead to HCV transmission.”
People who have young children must make them aware of these type situations and those children who are old enough should be taught about the hazards of germs and urged to wash their hands often.
A study found men with HIV and chronic HCV infection are more likely to receive treatment than women. The same study found Caucasians with HIV and HCV co-infection are more likely to receive treatment than some others.
Barbara Kasey Smith is the writer of this article and it is based on an ABC News.Com report.
Source:
ABC News.Com