TOPIC:

Until HIV came along, my dentists didn't wear gloves, eye protection or masks. I virtually certain I got my dose of HCV during an exploratory surgerical procedure back in the mid 70s. A simple stricture in my ureter was causing constant bladder infections. In the era before MRIs. and other advanced scans, they had to go in and poke around to find out what was wrong. They cut me open from my belly button to my backbone. They also gave me a unit of blood.
My PCP said it would be an outpatient procedure today with a one inch incision.
Times have changed.
m

Greedfighter wrote: Gaj, that is really what I meant. Unsanitary surgical procedures is included in my comment. It is a disease acquired though intimate encounters. How else can such a large third world population be explained. Sorry for not being more specific.

Overall, what I meant is in the first world, MOST people acquired this disease through drug use. I believe most third world patients acquired this thought unsanitary medical procedures or sex.

Yes true
Never have a needle stuck in your foot into a flesh wound in a third world country village "medical centre" when aged around 28 on a surf trip. They only screened me for HIV which was always clear but I knew in my mind something was up it made me careful that consciousness, and then so many years later, bammm.

When the subject comes up at the doctors office, I'm always asked how I contracted Hep C. The honest answer is, I don't know. And, then they go through the list. Tranfusions "No". IV drugs? "No". Have you every used Heroin? (To myself:Isn't that the same question you just asked?!.) "No." Cocaine?....I just bust out laughing, and then when they stop laughing too... "No."

To myself: What the fuck difference does it make? Do you want me to guess? Is there a prize for the right answer? (No.)

How often do you drink? "Now nothing". To myself: Back when, whenever I wanted a beer, and I really don't need a guilt trip - so can we just fucking move on?

How, and when, did I get Hep C? I don't want to be disrespectful, and I know this isn't the answer they want, but I just don't know.

Would you accept "raised by wolves?"

Hey Fitz the dumbass alcohol question has only just stopped for me recently! Yup it's silly but when my GGT was at 13 like gimme a break!
A

CJ wrote: Is it really spread by sex? I always thought this wasn't so?
& what about mozzies?
I know a lot say it isn't, but I've always wondered?! as the mozzies seem to spread so many diseases.
x

I know that medical opinion says that HCV is not transmitted by mosquitos like malaria is.

fixhepc.com/forum/media-news/936-baby-boomers.html#14888

But HCV has existed for long enough for it to have diverged into six (even seven) main genotypes and several subtypes (thanks for the nice graphic, Gaj). This means it is been in the human population for several thousand years at least, making it much more ancient than hypodermic syringes (both "medical" and "recreational"). So there must, surely, be some kind of "natural" transmission mechanism, even if HCV has not "evolved" like malaria has, right?

Suppose you have two people in the same room. One of them has HCV, and a mosquito bites them both during the same night. Setting aside the risk of malaria, probably nothing will happen except for some red bumps for breakfast, right?

Now repeat the experiment each night for 30 years. Sooner or later, wouldn't there be a "shared needle" effect?



Well, its just a thought...

Please read the link in Sonix post for an explanation:

fixhepc.com/forum/questions-and-answers/...n.html?start=15#8913

Looking through the more scientific literature, what is stated in the article is supported and also the CDC states "Hepatitis C virus has not been shown to be transmitted by mosquitoes or other insects."

www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/hcv/cfaq.htm

The above makes sense when you consider how long HCV had existed prior to the invention of mosquito nets or repellants. If you consider how often the average primitive human would get bitten by mosquitos each night over their lifetime (or 30 years in your example) then over the last several thousand years you would expect to see HCV spread to a significant proportion, and in swampy areas maybe the majority, of our population even if transmission only occurred very rarely. You only have to look at how quickly diseases which do use mosquitos as a vector spread for comparison (such as malaria and Zika virus).

I would think that prior to medical implements and barring large bloody wars the most common means of spread would be campfire fights over food, sex and shelter plus of course huddling together at night for warmth while still bleeding after such fights.

Hi Gaj,

Sure, I understand all the arguments against mosquitos. But what about the "new" Zika virus? Seems to me like more of the same, and that it is malaria that is the exception (malaria is not a virus)....

Only Zika is more scary because if you catch it (and with a big "IF" here) you get sick very fast.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zika_virus

As far as I can see, there is just too much of a pattern with all the other mosquito-borne flaviviruses (west nile, dengue, yellow fever, ... and now zika) to make such an exception for HCV?

Well, that's just my two cents...

Cheers,

I almost certainly contacted HCV in 1975. Been with my husband since 1982. Our children were born in 1990 and 1993. I was diagnosed in 2004. None of them have HCV.

Hi Beaches,

I have probably had HCV for about 39 years. After I was diagnosed, I contacted my ex-wife and other previous partners (not a big list) to tell them. Those that replied (not a big list) are all virus free.

I know I shared a mosquito a few times with my wife, but she was always the one who got bitten first and the most, so that doesn't prove anything.

Funny thing is, a couple of years ago I got badly bitten by a mosquito one night in Rio, and about 10 weeks later I really started to go down-hill. 4 weeks later I was diagnosed with Hep-C. Probably the Brazilian mosquito was just a coincidence, but I still wonder about that...

Hi Vororo,

If you read through the Wiki article you have cited you will see that Zika and other viruses that can be transmitted between humans by mosquitos have a mosquito-human-mosquito cycle. That is, they are capable of living and replicating in both humans and mosquitos.

From the Wiki entry you have linked "Zika replicates in the mosquito's midgut epithelial cells and then its salivary gland cells."

Epithelial tissues line the cavities and surfaces of blood vessels and organs throughout the body so Zika is sucked up in the blood, enters the midgut cells and replicates in the mosquitos connecting tissues as it transfers through to the saliva glands and then is injected along with the saliva into the next host.

HCV cannot infect mosquitos so is not capable of replicating via that process as it cannot bridge the barriers between the stomach and salivary glands to allow transfer back to humans.

Edit: purely speculation but it wouldn't surprise me if the bite you received in Brazil carried something that weakened your immune system balance enough to allow the HCV to give the HCV an advantage causing your "down-hill" run.

Hi Gaj,

Agreed, there is good evidence the HVC does not replicate in the gut or saliva of a mosquito.

But here's an article that says that mechanical transmission is at least possible for HCV (but not for HIV) on the grounds of the (pico-litre) volumes that would be necessary:

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17521655

But what might happen if someone successfully manages to slap a mossie while it's biting?

... the "mechanics" of which is best left to the imagination

Failure to prove a positive does not prove a negative, but there are no cases on record of mosquitoes transmitting HCV so as I said it's unlikely.
I can tell you from personal experience they can give you dengue fever. Think I actually squashed the bugger that gave it to me.

"When the moon is in the Seventh House
And Jupiter aligns with Mars
Then peace will guide the planets
And Wullie will squash the mozzies"

Sorry, I was trying to think of something to equate the danger to and just couldn't resist that opportunity.

Based on the quoted study, then yes, I guess there may be an extremely small possibility that it could happen from a mechanical point of view if you are extraordinarily unlucky and an excellent swatter but it would appear to be very unlikely. There are far riskier things in life with greater consequences that are more likely to happen so I don't think it is something that we should unduly worry ourselves over.

(If you are still concerned then take destiny in your own hands and don't try to swat the little beggars!)

Sabrecat can you please give me her email address either forum or private message. I can only find the street address and would prefer to email. kindly berrince

Gaj wrote: "When the moon is in the Seventh House
And Jupiter aligns with Mars
Then peace will guide the planets
And Wullie will squash the mozzies"

Sorry, I was trying to think of something to equate the danger to and just couldn't resist that opportunity.

"Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth."
Arthur Conan Doyle

Oor Wullie goes off to play with his catapult and sharpen his pen-knife... (oops!)