Hepatitis

Infectious diseases are significant to the EMT because they often are exposed to blood and other bodily fluids. One of the biggest risk factors for the EMT is Hepatitis. There are different types of Hepatitis, including A, B, C, D, E, and G, “Over 90% of cases of acute viral hepatitis in the US are caused by hepatitis A, B or C virus (HAV, HBV, HCV),” (Powell, 1997: 1). HAV is the most prevalent form of the virus and is spread, like HEV, through fecal-oral transmission. HBC, HCV and HDV are spread through blood or other bodily fluids, such as semen or saliva. HAV is a “highly contagious virus that attacks the liver…HAV accounts for as many as 65 percent of all viral hepatitis cases in the US each year,” (Cary, 1997: 1). The general symptoms of HAV are similar to other hepatitis viral infections, except that in some cases the symptoms are more or less pronounced: fatigue; nausea; vomiting; fever/chills; jaundice; pain in the liver area; dark urine; light-colored stools; abdominal pain, (Cary, 1997: 1). Food or drinking water that is contaminated with HAV is the usual mode of transmission. Serologic testing is required to detect its presence since its symptoms mock other forms of the virus. The administration of immunoglobulin (IG) is the only method of prevention. People who have occupational exposure to the infected should be inoculated, but “the vaccine is not currently reco

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rough the blood and houses itself for replication in the liver. In approximately one out of three cases in the US the transmission mode of HBV is unknown and “approximately 300,000 new cases of hepatitis B occur annually in the US, resulting in 18,000 to 30,000 new chronic infections per year. The vast majority (90%) of acute hepatitis B infections occur in young adults, especially men,” (Canales, 1997: 5). Symptoms of HBV can range in duration from days to weeks and include fatigues, nausea, anorexia, weakness, malaise, fever and right upper quadrant pain, (Canales, 1997: 6). The main methods of treating acute HBV are through supportive care and bed rest, and the EMT can help provide support in this area because supportive care is required and antiemetics, analgesics, and IV hydration may be necessary. Support and counseling can be given to the family in a variety of ways and the EMT can help them take steps to ensure the patient is limiting or stopping the use of unnecessary hepatoxic agents. For chronic HBV the method used is alpha interferon. Five to ten million units injected three times a week for a period of approximately six months is recommended. WHY MANDATORY INNOCULATION OR SIGNED REFUSAL? Mandatory inocu
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Approximate Word count = 1659
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)

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