AIDS & Hepatitis C:
Veteran Issues
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Veterans from the Vietnam era were more at risk for
contracting hepatitis C than any other war. Vietnam-era veterans made up
62.7% of those veterans who tested positive for hepatitis C. The next
largest group is post-Vietnam at 18%. World War II at 4%, Korean 5.3% and
Persian Gulf veterans make up 3%. Hundreds of Vietnam veterans are being
diagnosed daily across America and are almost 10 times more likely to have
hepatitis C than the average America.
The conditions that existed during the Vietnam
era for processing blood, blood products and vaccines were appalling. The
blood was not heated despite hundreds of warnings from federal scientists to
do so.
Deployed US military forces have historically
experienced higher rates of hospital admission from infectious diseases than
from battlefield combat and noncombatant injuries. In addition to disease
transmission between deployed troops and indigenous populations,
warfare-related social disruption often creates refugees and internally
displaced persons that can pass infections along to US military forces.
Allied coalition forces may themselves bring infectious diseases into an
area for the first time and transmit them to US forces and the indigenous
population.
ADDITIONAL ARTICLES:
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Document Name & Link to Document |
Description |
File Size /Type** |
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BLOODBORNE PATHOGENS
EXPOSURE CONTROL PLAN |
Department of the Army control plan- To prescribe policies,
responsibilities and procedures for implementation of the
Bloodborne Pathogen Exposure Control Plan (BBPECP) to meet
the letter and intent of the OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens
Standard (29 CFR 1910.1030). OSHA has enacted this standard
to "reduce occupational exposure to Hepatitis B Virus (HBV),
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and other bloodborne
pathogens". This plan details measures WRAMC and its
employees will take to decrease the risk of transmission of
bloodborne pathogens and provide appropriate treatment and
counseling should an employee be exposed to bloodborne
pathogens. |
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Hepatitis C
Virus Screening in the VA |
"But after two years, the laudable promise of the VA
initiative to screen and treat Hepatitis C Virus-infected
veterans remains unfulfilled. The decentralized VA health
system seems incapable of carrying out the Hepatitis C Virus
program aggressively or consistently." |
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Hepatitis C
Origin Points to Possible Military Link |
Hepatitis, not Hepatitis C, was a serious medical condition
for military personnel during the Vietnam War. Thousands of
servicemen contracted the disease and the Pentagon was
determined to do something about it to resolve a drain on
combat readiness. |
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VA Program |
The Council has identified four major goals of this
campaign:- Raise awareness of hepatitis C
infection risk factors/prevalence among veterans- Motivate
veterans who may be infected with hepatitis C virus
to seek testing and as appropriate, seek treatment- Provide
credible, up-to-date hepatitis C information and
education to at-risk veterans and those receiving treatment-
To achieve the above goals through education and advocacy.
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Viral
Hepatitis amongst US Navy Personnel - 1987 by |
Six hundred and twenty-nine cases of viral hepatitis (A, B,
and NonA-NonB) were reported among a total of 768,832 United
States Navy and Marine Corps personnel during 1984 and 1985
via a passive surveillance system. |
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