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Hep C teaching job

was recently hired by local High School but i must take a physical to make sure I have no communicable diseases. I do Have Hep C. Does that mean I am automatically disqualified or do I still have a chance of getting the job. The state is North Carolina and I would be teaching Art.
Does anyone know?
This is what it states:  Submission of the health certificate required by N.C.G.S. 115C-323, confirming the absence of a physical or mental disease, including tuberculosis in the communicable form or other communicable disease, that would impair the ability to perform the duties of the job effectively.
I feel fine and I take good care of myself, etc. so I have no symptoms I am aware of.
Anyone out there know anything?...much appreciated.
7 Responses
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683231 tn?1467323017
From what I read on some of the SC web sites and my feeling is you should be fine but of course you have a lot riding on this.

Feeling fine isn't really a good indication of how your liver is doing. By the time you would have symptoms you would be in end stage liver failure. I feel fine right now but I have cirrhosis. I have known I have hep c since 1990 treated 3 times and was a null responder.

Once you get insurance you should get checked out.

The newest med coming later this year is a single pill combo of Sovaldi and Ledipasvir. Just 1 pill a day limited side effects reported 12 weeks that's it your done.

Good luck
Lynn
Helpful - 0
2114467 tn?1358210256
It looks like hopingforcure has given you some useful info. It seems to me if you are given a blood test, and that includes a liver panel, that will show a positive antibody result. You can't hide that. If you are asked to answer a few questions or please check these boxes and one of the boxes is hep c, what do you do? Check the box and cross your fingers. And if they don't ask, I agree with you, I would not tell. Your integrity is still intact.

Wishing you the best results. I do think the stigma of hep c is slowly eroding.
C
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
in response to your question to flyinlynn, YES, there are a world of treatments (tx) compared to what they used to have.  I had the 3xwk interferon injections in  1994/95 and was a null responder (no remission).  I, like you, had no symptoms,  so didn't worry about it.  When I had gall bladder surgery in Jan of this yr, the surgeon suggested thart a biopsy be done since I had hepc and
hadn't had it checked since the 90s.  I said why since I didn't receive any benefit from the INF before.  He said there were new options. did the biopsy and found out I have F-3 level Fibrosis F4, then cirrhosis comes- next).  Discussed w/my primary care Dr, was referred to a specialist ( in my case, one who had been or is involved in the research on these new meds!) and I am now on treatment .  There are special tests to determine current status: Labs, scans, and, of course, biopsy.

Please, when you get your insurance, get the tests, find out, what is going on with your liver, and get treatment.  It is nothing like what the old INF was.

Good lick in the job and your health! Pat
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
thanks for getting back. this is something that has me a little worried. since '08 things have been difficult and this job would really help. i show no symptoms i'm aware of, but i try to take care of myself; exercise, don't drink, don't smoke, etc.
don't they specifically have to ret for this virus or does it automatically show up on a blood test, i don't know.
i do know this. if they don't ask i won't tell, thanks again
j
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
thanks for getting back with me. truthfully don't really know much about recent developments in treatment. Last i heard there was interferon. based on what i heard not something i wanted to try. especially since i have no symptoms of any kind that i'm aware of.
is there anything new out there?
any info much appreciated.
j
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
The best thing to do is to consult with an employment  attorney so you know what your rights are and get some advise on being proactive. Most will do a free consult but it's also worth the money and time to know what your rights are even if there isn't a problem with your status but might become an issue sometime in the future.

NC is a right to work state and you can be fired for any reason unless it's discriminatory or they are constructing a firing. It's up to you to prove your case if you feel you were discriminated. Remember, whoever has the best documentation usually wins.

Years ago I disclosed my status to my employer and I was fired two weeks later. One way an employer can fire you is to find some other way. One common tactic is create an environment where no reasonable person would be able to cope with a given situation and fire you for say improper conduct.

If it were me I would start documenting everything going forward for a time just incase something goes wrong. I've included some text below taken from the ADA regarding hep c in the workplace. Many people with hep c suffer from depression and attention deficit disorder which can brought in play when requesting accommodations under the ADA. If there is ever a need to do so, best to file a complaint with the Feds rather than the State.

"Can an offer of employment be conditioned on passing a post-offer medical examination?

Yes. If employment is conditioned on passing a post-offer medical examination, the employee must submit to the examination. If a questionnaire or the examiner asks a specific question that requires the employee to disclose the disability, the employee must disclose the disability. If the questionnaire or examiner does not specifically inquire, the employee may not be required to disclose. The ADA makes it difficult for an employer to discharge "a qualified individual with a disability." It does not make it difficult to discharge someone who does not tell the truth.

If a person is not hired because a post-offer medical examination or inquiry reveals a disability, the burden is on the employer to prove its reasons for not hiring the person are "job-related and consistent with business necessity." The employer must prove that no reasonable accommodation was possible, or accommodation would impose "undue hardship" on the employer, or the individual poses a "direct threat" to health or safety in the workplace. A direct threat is "a significant risk of substantial harm to the health or safety of the individual or others" that cannot be eliminated or reduced below the "direct threat" level by reasonable accommodation."

http://www.hepcfocus.com/content/Library_ADA.aspx
Helpful - 0
683231 tn?1467323017
I found this link
"Hepatitis C Best Practice Guidelines For Local Health Departments"

http://epi.publichealth.nc.gov/cd/lhds/manuals/cd/diseaseconds/BestPracticeGuidelinesHCV.pdf

from page 7 FAQ

"7. Why isn’t chronic hepatitis C a reportable disease in our state?

A: Because there is no specific lab test to differentiate acute from chronic HCV,
each reported case or positive lab result would require investigation.
Currently, there are not enough resources at the state or local level to
investigate the thousands of positive HCV lab results that are received."

I dont believe you should have any problem. Just do what you should always do dont share fingernail clippers, razors etc.

On a side note are you aware of tthe recently approved treatments for hep c with very high rates of eradication of virus?

You may want to speak with your hepatologist or gastrogenerologist


Good Luck
Lynn
Helpful - 0
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