New study on HepC: no more "stigma".

[mauilady]

I just came across this article---I thought HepC wasn't really found out about until the 1980s.  This puts everything in a whole new light.  I could have had the virus since the 1950s??  When I had a tonsillectomy??

http://www.hepatitiscentral.com/news/new-study-debunks-negative-hep-c-stigma/?eml=hepcen249

[Dee1956]

Thank you so much for this information.  I think it is very interesting and helpful

[mike716]

The subject of this extremely important article is not the origin of the virus but the origin(s) of the current epidemic, which, according to the Canadian study, are to be found not in victim misdeeds but in medical malpractice: principally, improper blood transfusions and insufficiently sterilized hypodermic syringes and other injection and transfusion apparatuses.

The medical profession has been trying to shift the blame onto us, the victims, for thirty years. There is nothing new in "blaming the victim", but in the present case it is particularly ugly.

[orphanedhawk]

Thanks for posting this informative article.

[Dee1956]

Thank you both! This is very interesting! I hope others will think so too!

[flyinlynn]

Hep c has existed for a very long time I am not familiar with the history at to how far back it may have existed but prior to the 1980's they were looking at something called non A non B hepatitis which was eventually changed to be called hep c. All they knew was they had a virus that was not hep A or hep B that was also attacking the liver but there was evidence of this virus for a very long time before they named it hep C

Ok I did find this

http://hcvadvocate.org/hepatitis/factsheets_pdf/Brief_History_HCV.pdf

Ancient History
It is impossible to really know the origins of HCV since there are no stored blood samples to test for the virus that are older than 50 years. However, given the nature of the evolution of all viruses, hepatitis C has probably been around for hundreds of thousands of years or more before evolving into the current strains.
Some experts speculate that since HGV/GBV-C, a close relative of HCV, originated in Old and New World primates, the beginnings of HCV might
be traced back to 35 million years ago. However, this is just speculation
and it is impossible to corroborate these theories at the present time. On firmer ground is the prediction that the different subtypes of HCV originated approximately 500 years ago in West Africa. However, it has also been pointed out that it is dificult to limit the origin of HCV to such a short period of human history because the virus is found in remote areas all over the world. As well, the virus is mainly spread by direct blood-to-blood contact, making it dificult to spread and evolve rapidly – especially considering that the main transmission routes (blood product use and needle use) have only been in existence for a short period of time.