“The main vector of hepatitis C transmission in Spain is ‘chemical'”

Spain is on track to almost completely eradicate hepatitis C, but the Spanish Society of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology (SEIMC) this week condemned some hospitals for not receiving adequate treatment for “strictly financial reasons”. “

Carlos Galera is Chairman of the SEIMC Hepatitis Group and a staff member of the Virgen de la Arrixaca University Hospital in Murcia.doctor treatment spanish information network One of the letter’s authors noted that the disease could be treated from the outset, but despite health advice, this is not done.

Q: Why did you write this statement? To whom is it written?

Answer: Due to the needs of some colleagues. For acute hepatitis C, it is very important to start treatment from the first opportunity, rather than waiting as before. Approximately 25% of acute hepatitis C cases are self-limiting and resolve without treatment. Previously, we waited to see if it resolved, and if not, started treatment. In the current context of the spread of the virus, this is illogical.

Q: They’re asking for treatment to begin as soon as possible, rather than waiting six months.

A: This guidance is already included in the European guidelines, but because there is no positioning document, some hospitals have expressed opposition to some colleagues who want to start treatment in this way. One way to support them is this document, which is not against the Ministry of Health or anything. Hepatitis C in Spain is going well, but this could be a major obstacle. It must be dealt with so that it does not become a source of new cases. All the scientific community agrees that treatment should not be delayed, and there is no reason for the barriers that are occurring in some hospitals.

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Q: How is hepatitis C mainly spread?

A: Currently, the main vectors of transmission of the disease occur in the following contexts: Chemistry, using drugs for recreational purposes to prolong a sexual relationship. We are seeing an increase in cases in some areas. And it’s not just that you share a syringe, but you can have a bottle of ephedrine and you can reach out with the syringe, prick it and take some. If you have inserted a syringe, you may contaminate the bottle if you are a hepatitis C carrier. Infections can also occur if syringes are not shared.

Q: Is the source of infection easy to trace?

Answer: It is not easy to trace the origin of a case. In the context of a sexual relationship, this may be easier because it always comes from the context of a sex party. Only 15 people remained over the weekend, taking drugs and having unprotected sex. This is a risk factor for hepatitis C. Additionally, injectable medications can be used to prolong relationships. If someone has hepatitis C, patients say they sometimes become uninhibited and two people may share a syringe. It is a sexually transmitted disease, but is less likely to occur in heterosexual contact. Male-to-male contact is more frequent because the transmission mechanism is due to loss of the mucocutaneous barrier, and wounds conducive to virus transmission are more likely to be found during anal intercourse.

*Editor’s note. To address possible misunderstandings, doctors do not intend to stigmatize sex between men, although the spread of hepatitis C does not increase based on the relationship between the sexes, but rather from unprotected anal intercourse, which is more often attributed to Because homosexual sex is not as good as heterosexual sex.

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