HEROIN TASK FORCE ADDRESSES HEPATITIS C

DUBOIS - AIDS isn't the only infectious disease associated with
intravenous drug use - Hepatitis C is on the rise and a threat to
anyone who shares needles or practices unsafe sex.

At the recent Clearfield-Jefferson Heroin Task Force, Dr. Tuesdae
Stainbrook, who specializes in infectious diseases, briefed fellow
task force members on how Hep C is affecting and infecting the area.

According to Stainbrook, she came to DuBois two years ago and
realized that no one was treating chronic Hep C.

There are three types of Hepatitis C that one can contract. Hepatitis
A is contracted by eating contaminated food or drinking contaminated
water. This type of Hepatitis mostly affects those with chronic liver
disease, Stainbrook said.

Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV are transmitted through bodily
fluids, intravenous needle use, unsafe sex or the use of a dirty tattoo needle.

"Hepatitis C, unfortunately, is the worst to get," Stainbrook said.
"It's also the easiest to get."

She added that there is a 30 percent chance of contracting Hepatitis
C via intravenous needle use, compared to a 10 percent chance of
contracting it through sexual activity. However, Stainbrook was quick
to point out that practicing safe sex is a must.

While most people recover, or "clear," Hepatitis A and B, according
to Stainbrook, Hepatitis C is a different story. The problem with Hep
C, she said, is that 85 percent of people develop chronic cases of the disease.

There are four genotypes of Hep C - 1, 2, 3 and 4. Genotype 1 is the
most chronic in the United States and also the hardest to treat,
taking around a year, Stainbrook said

Genotypes 2, 3 and 4 take about six months to treat, she added.

Treatment for Hep C consists of a shot once a week, which can make
the patient feel like he or she has the flu. Other side effects of
the shot include a change in one's eyes, mouth ulcers and a decreased
white blood cell count, which leads to another shot.

Additionally, patients take three pills each day, which can cause red
blood cells to decrease, leading to yet another shot.

Stainbrook treats only patients who have been off drugs and alcohol
for at least six months and are living clean lifestyles. Though she
does not test patients for drug use, Stainbrook said the hepatitis
treatment is so arduous, patients would not be able to complete it
while using drugs.

She also can tell how a patient is doing by the results of his or her lab work.

Stainbrook estimates that she's had a 90 percent success rate with
patients following treatment, which costs thousands of dollars.

Many of Stainbrook's patients are on Medical Assistance, which
proposed discontinuing paying for hepatitis treatment. Stainbrook
wrote a letter to Medical Assistance, and it will be continuing to
cover the treatment. The alternative for people infected with the
disease refraining from seeking help because they can't afford
treatment could be disastrous, she said.

"The more heroin progresses, the more it's going to continue getting
into out pockets," Jefferson County District Attorney Jeffrey Burkett
said, adding that there are detrimental emotional and monetary consequences.

Patients undergoing hepatitis treatment can suffer from depression
and anger, and Stainbrook's patients must seek counseling. In some
instances, such as if the patient has a physical job, Stainbrook will
grant temporary disability, since the treatment can be debilitating.

But the alternative is much worse.

In most Hep C cases, however, the majority of those infected with the
disease do not experience symptoms, according to Stainbrook.

"There's no symptoms for Hep C until the very end," she said, adding
that in some cases, the patient will experience liver pain.

The end stage of Hep C brings the patient close to cirrhosis, and
there is also an increased risk for liver cancer, Stainbrook said.

While it takes one years to reach the end state, she said, every
person is different.

Stainbrook's patients are normally people around the ages of 16 to 24
who are current drug users, or they are in their fifties and were
drug users in the 1970s. She has treated patients who contracted the
disease after using drugs less than six months.

According to Stainbrook, a specific test - one that checks for the
Hep C anti-body - is needed to determine whether or not one has the
disease, because his or her liver enzymes could be normal otherwise.

According to Stainbrook, a person who contracted hepatitis is
considered cured if his or her "viral load" is undetectable.

With increased awareness of the disease in the community, Stainbrook
said most of her younger patients are being diagnosed through their
family physicians.

As for her older patients, many were aware they had contracted the
disease but hadn't sought help previously. The Red Cross screens
blood donations for hepatitis, and some of Stainbrook's older
patients know each other and warned of someone contracting the disease.

According to Stainbrook, the state does not provide money for Hep C
testing at this time, but it is important for one to be tested if the
possibility of exposure is there.

In other task force business:

- - Fund-raiser committee member Bev Kurts recently visited Virginia
and brought back a fund-raising idea the committee approved.

The fund-raiser, known in Virginia as "Meadow Muffin Megabucks,"
consists of roping off a plot of land, dividing the land into squares
and selling deeds to the squares. A cow is then released into the
plot of land, and the winner of the contest is the deed owner of the
square in which the cow relieves itself.

- - Committee members Anglea Ireland and Deb Mumper have drafted
letters to civic organizations requesting donations. The letters have
not been sent yet.

- - The task force had small folded cards printed to place at
businesses, etc., throughout the area. The cards contain the phone
numbers of organizations, hospitals and quit lines that can provide help.

- - The DuBois Rotary Club donated $250 to the task force.

- - Roche Pharmaceuticals donated $1,000 to the task force.

- - Member Susan Ford strongly suggested having a yearly audit done. She
received a $200 quote for the audit, which would normally cost between
$1,500 and $5,000. Some members are going to check into receiving a
lower quote for the audit if possible.