Family Divided

[7dwarf]

My SIL told the family she had Hep C and contracted it thru cutting the hair of an infected person. This did not sound right to me so I questioned it. Of course (since I only married into the family) everyone is mad at me for questioning her. If I'm wrong I will apologize to her in a heart beat but I honestly don't think she contracted it this way from everything I have read on the subject. Since you guys have all dealt with this much more than I have, CAN you contract Hep C this way? Is it at all possible even when no blood was involved?

[Willy50]

Rocker wrote;
",i mean the ones who say they never got onto drugsmthe only other 2 main ways are tattos and medical procedures
------------------------------------------------------------------------

I disagree with this and even the way it is written is pretty vague leaving a lot open for misinterpreting and possibly conveying incorrect information.

Medical procedures may be wider than uninformed people would interpret it to mean.  Rocker may also mean the people have gotten it (in addition to operations or transfusions) but it may also be in getting contaminated drugs, tainted by improper procedures, through improperly sterilized equipment, in dental or plastic surgery.  Many people in the military were infected through air gun innoculations. Medical procedures really doesn't do justice to the wide range of methods that HCV has been transmitted.

HCV can be transmitted sexually.  Common hetersexual transmission has a very low risk but there are also other co-factors which can raise the transmission rate.

Vertical transmission can also occur.  (from mother to child)

It is possible to get it through sports injuries where blood to blood exposure can occur.

We have members here who were infected in acts of violence against them, for example where both parties are bleeding.

I hope the tone of this thread isn't to "get the goods" on someone who is infected and to expose their lie about how they got infected.  It isn't anybody's job to do that or to judge them.  30-40% of us don't know how they got the infection.  Many people who are infected are innocent bystanders; mothers who were given blood products during childbirth, soldiers who served in Vietnam who were infected, or other methods.  I met a man who pulled an injured person from a car wreck and who was infected with the blood of the injured party.

Point is...... unless you can prove that they came across this some other way maybe you should give them the benefit of the doubt.

In answer to your original question......

I have been cut many times with straight razors while getting a haircut at a barbers/ hair stylist.  Back before they knew there was a HCV or how to properly sterilize the equipment.  I didn't know, they didn't know; nobody knew.  Could that razor have been tainted with my blood after the haircut; yes.  Could the razor have been tainted with someone elses blood before my haircut?  Yup.  Do hair sylists ever get cut themselves with straight razors?  I'm pretty sure they do.  Coincidentally, a person who used to cut my hair told be that she had been infected once but had cleared the virus.

I hope that I have explained to you how infection can occur.  

Don't feel too bad, I've heard of doctors that have accused women of acquiring it because they were of questionable character.  I've heard of doctors also immediately assuming they were drug addicts.  When people stereotype like this they will be right a percentage of the time but they also unfairly malign many innocent people.  Since in the United States about 5% of us are infected that is a sizable number.  If you work the math on how many haircuts she does per year you'll see that she probably has provided many trims to infected people.

This person deserves some compassion, not judgement.

best,
Willy

[WriteItDown]

Yep, we could've just collaborated on one post and saved some bandwidth...  :)

[R Glass]

I would like to add that people are to quick to point the finger at IV drug use as the culprit even if the infected person was once an IV drug user. I will use myself as an example.
I “ran” drugs about 30 years ago and automatically assumed; this is how I was infected. Now I am not so sure. I drank almost everyday of those 30 years and was only at stage 1. I find this hard to believe.
Between dentist and life of construction, car wrecks, life in general, I have been around my share of blood and could have contacted it at anytime.
I am really starting to doubt it was from IV drug use.

[GrandOak]

HCV is strictly a blood bourne viral disease, period, end of story, nothing to suggest otherwise.

However, in the end what does it matter how a person contracted it?

Will it change your ability to provide support and assistance to that person?

Would this be an issue if it was a blood sibling from your immediate family?

Is it simply a matter of being right or is there more deeper down about becoming taking a position in the family to provide the empathy, comfort, and support to another family member?

But perhaps most importantly, is it something which needs to be resolved between your SO and yourself?

Maybe I'm wrong, but these seem to be questions which one may need to look at from a relationship perspective.

[GreatBird]

I think that telling a family one got HCV from a haircut makes it sound like HCV is transmitted easily. It is not. For that reason alone, I think it's important to correct that information. Family members should not feel at risk by touching or cutting hair or sharing dishes or bathrooms or any of that with another family member who has HCV.

There is so much misinformation out there, and I think it adds to the stigma.

[copyman]

great points about what does it really matter how someone got it. don't make a big deal about it and just offer them love & support.

no one really knows all the ways HCV is transmitted. This is such a resiliant disease almost anything is possible.

and yes it is possible from cutting hair IF the stylist/barbar cut you then themself.