Hepatitis B and C Rates Higher Than Anticipated
November 21, 2013; Posted by: webleed staff
New government study in Canada shows more Hep B and C infections not detected than expected.
Hepatitis B and C are diseases of the liver that are spread through contact with the blood and body fluids of an infected person. During the “tainted blood” period in the 1980s, many individuals with hemophilia were also infected with hepatitis.
In Canada, a current government study showed that the number of people living in Canada with hepatitis was surprisingly more than initially anticipated. The study found 0.4% of people surveyed were infected with hepatitis B and 0.5% were infected with hepatitis C. The crazy part of this story was that more than half of the people surveyed had no idea they were infected.
The original article can be found via the National Post. Providers and researches do not believe the sample size is as accurate as it can be and they insist there will be more studies done to determine the effect hepatitis has had on it’s population.
Photo Credit: Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images
