Treatment and Prevention of Hepatitis C in Adult Population Essay

Treatment and Prevention of Hepatitis C in Adult Population - Essay Example Since the transmission of HCV is similar to HIV and IDU is the primary risk factor for HCV infection, and coinfection of these two blood borne diseases cause morbidity and mortality, harm reduction approach and the strategies that addresses the social and economic harms that impact an individual, community, or society are paramount in preventing the epidemic. Hepatitis C is the major cause of chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and liver cancer in the United States and the identification of Hepacivirus of the family Flaviviridae in 1989 led to an explosion of research and development of specific tests for detecting anti-HCV and HCV RNA as well as recognizing it as a common cause of chronic liver disease. (Chapter 5: Viral Hepatitis, p. 61). According to WHO estimates there are "about 180 million people, some 3% of the world's population, are infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), 130 million of whom are chronic HCV carriers at risk of developing liver cirrhosis and/or liver cancer" and three to four million persons are newly infected each year, making HCV a "viral time bomb". It is also estimated that 3.9 million Americans are infected with HCV, with 'prevalence rates as high as 8-10% in African Americans'. The route of HCV transmission is mainly through injectable drug use that account for nearly 90% of new infection, as well as through blood transfusion and perinatal infection. (WHO2). (Initiative for vaccine Research (IVR). 2008). It is estimated that there are 1-2 million homeless youth in the United States and a national study of homeless youths found that "68% are 15-17 years old; 57% are Caucasians; 17% African American; 15% Hispanic; and 12% from other ethnic origins" (Nyamathi et al, 2005). It is found that approximately 16-25% of those infected with HCV are co-infected with HIV, and due to shared risk factors HIV/HCV co-infection is common among homeless and urban poor. Edlin & Carden (2006) argue that though HCV is four times more prevalent than HIV infection and viral transmission is uncontrolled among IDUs with 'incidence rates ranging from 16% to 42% per year' the efforts of the US government to "control this pandemic have largely ignored the population in whom its biology and epidemiology are being played out with the most devastating effects." (Edlin & Carden, 2008). The Disease: Its detection and symptoms Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver and its symptoms include jaundice, dark urine, extreme fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and pain. There are five major types of hepatitis viruses, named A, B,C, D, and E type, of which A and E are caused by ingestion of contaminated food or water, and "hepatitis B, C, and D usually occur as a result of parenteral contact with infected blood fluids." (Hepatitis. 2008). HCV infection is categorized into acute and chronic and specific symptoms in the acute stage are nausea and vomiting, fatigue, loss of appetite, fever, head ache, and

Social Entrepreneurship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Social Entrepreneurship - Essay Example es mainly address the social needs in the society through offering products and services that aim at meeting the cultural, social and environmental needs in the society (Paton, 2003 p. 89). The bank commenced operations in 1984 providing trade union banking services while observing the founding principles. The trade unions offered provided equity capital of 1.25 million pounds while the Co-operative Bank added 2.6 million pounds to the start up capital. In the first year, the bank operated as a licensed deposit taking institution providing its clients a range of banking services. In the first year, the balance sheet figures in terms of assets grew to over 40 million pounds with the deposits reaching 35 million pounds. The Bank offered a rights issue in 1986 thus enabling more trade unions to buy shares. Fifty-eight trade unions were now members of the bank. After the passage of Public services (social value) Act 2012, Birmingham has experienced the emergence of many social enterprise s. The Act enables the stakeholders to become members of the social enterprises and introduces several tools for the identification of the social impact (Price, 2009 P. 52). The major responsibilities of social enterprises include encouraging community involvement, encouraging of equal opportunities and supporting a green economy. Social enterprises should also encourage sustainability initiatives like recycling and encourage fair trading practices (Doherty & Thompson, 2006 p.40). Social enterprise based organisations have innovative and people-friendly solutions that aim at creating positive change in the society unlike the traditional corporate world that is geared at profit maximisation (Nicholls, 2006 p.18). Most social enterprise based organisations work with poor communities and provides the staff with flexible working schedules. According to the UK department of Trade and Industry (DTI), socially based enterprises have primary social objectives whereby the surplus is reinvested