Download Hepatitis - LifeSouth Community Blood Centers

Test Results
Blood donors are confidentially notified of any
unusual results found by our blood tests.
There is a possibility of false-positive test
results with any laboratory test. A positive
test does not confirm the presence of disease,
Corporate Headquarters
4039 Newberry Road
Gainesville, Florida 32607
(352) 224-1600
but rather indicates that you may have been
exposed to the virus in the past.
Your Community
Blood Center
LifeSouth Community Blood Centers is a
family of non-profit, volunteer community
blood centers that provides blood for patients.
LifeSouth is headquartered in Gainesville,
Fla., and has branch blood centers serving
Alabama
Baldwin Region
Daphne, Ala. (251) 621-9644
Mobile Region
Mobile, Ala. (251) 706-1470
Birmingham Region
Birmingham, Ala. (205) 943-6000
Morgan Region
Decatur, Ala. (256) 308-0769
East Alabama Region
Opelika, Ala. (334) 826-5348
Shelby Region
Alabaster, Ala. (205) 663-4050
Montgomery Region
Montgomery, Ala. (334) 260-0803
Shoals Region
Sheffield, Ala. (256) 383-3535
North Alabama Region
Huntsville, Ala. (256) 533-8201
Wiregrass Region
Dothan, Ala. (334) 792-9977
Marshall Region
Albertville, Ala. (256) 894-6066
hospitals in Alabama, Florida and Georgia.
For more information, contact your
physician or the LifeSouth center
closest to you. You can also visit
our web site at www.lifesouth.org.
Thank you!
Florida
Civitan Region
Gainesville, Fla. (352) 334-1000
Marion Region
Ocala, Fla. (352) 622-3544
Citrus Region
Lecanto, Fla. (352) 527-3061
Putnam Region
Palatka, Fla. (386) 328-7299
Hernando Region
Brooksville, Fla. (352) 596-2002
Suwannee Valley Region
Lake City, Fla. (386) 755-0480
Georgia
Greater Atlanta Region
Atlanta, Ga. (404) 329-1994
Northeast Georgia Region
Gainesville, Ga. (770) 538-0500
04-08
What
every
blood
donor
should
know
Hepatitis
What every blood donor should know about Hepatitis:
There have been five
hepatitis viruses identified
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis A is spread when a virus in an infected
person’s feces is transferred to another person’s mouth.
This was once called “infectious hepatitis.” Hepatitis A
is passed by eating food contaminated with the virus.
Usually the contamination occurs after the food is
handled by an infected person or after contamination
from sewage-polluted waters.
People who live in crowded, unsanitary conditions,
or people who eat raw or undercooked shellfish are
at special risk for contracting this form of hepatitis.
Hepatitis A symptoms appear 14 to 45 days after
exposure. An infected person can infect others two
weeks before and up to one week after symptoms
appear.
Symptoms usually last two to seven days. There are
no known long-term effects. Hepatitis A is not usually
transmitted through blood transfusions.
Hepatitis B
Hepatitis B is spread through exposure to an infected
person’s body fluids. This was once called “serum
hepatitis.” This virus is passed when a person’s mucous
membranes or breaks in the skin are exposed to an
infected person’s blood, semen, saliva, or vaginal
secretions.
At increased risk for Hepatitis B are people who:
• share needles for drug use;
• have multiple sexual partners;
• have household contact with Hepatitis B infected
individuals;
• are prison inmates;
• are born in areas endemic for Hepatitis B.
Hepatitis B symptoms appear gradually six weeks to six
months after exposure. The person can infect others
four to six weeks before symptoms appear, and for an
unpredictable time after. The duration of symptoms
varies from weeks to months.
Since Hepatitis B is easily spread through blood
transfusions it is of major concern to blood centers.
Stringent donor screening questions and laboratory
tests help detect infected blood. Hepatitis B has several
possible serious effects including:
• recurring symptoms;
• a chronic-carrier state when the virus is still in the body,
even though symptoms are no longer evident;
• cirrhosis, a serious scarring of the liver;
• cancer of the liver.
A Hepatitis B vaccine is available and is recommended for
all infants, children in high risk groups and adolescents
(children up to 18 years of age); for people who work
in healthcare, law enforcement and sanitation; and for
adults in high risk groups.
Hepatitis C (HCV)
Although Hepatitis C is most commonly spread through
blood from an HCV infected blood donor or by sharing
a needle with an infected person, 15-20 percent of
infections occur in the community in the absence of
blood transfusions and needle sharing. Approximately
75-85 percent of the people infected with HCV become
chronic carriers. Since Hepatitis C is easily transmitted
through blood transfusions it is of great concern to
blood centers. Stringent donor screening questions and
laboratory tests help detect infected blood.
What is viral hepatitis?
It is a liver inflammation caused by one or more of the
hepatitis viruses. The liver is our largest internal organ
and plays an important role in the body.
Your liver:
• helps break down fats during digestion;
• stores and releases sugar as needed for energy;
• makes and saves vitamins and minerals for future use;
• destroys bacteria;
• produces protein, enzymes and other chemicals
necessary for life;
• cleanses the blood of alcohol and other toxic
substances.
What are the symptoms of
viral hepatitis?
The symptoms of the different types of viral hepatitis
are similar. Many cases go undiagnosed because the
symptoms are suggestive of a flu-like illness or they
may be very mild. Some infected people have no
symptoms. But even mild cases of viral hepatitis can
have serious consequences.
Hepatitis D
Some of the symptoms associated with viral hepatitis
are fatigue, loss of appetite, mild fever, aching muscles
and joints, vomiting, yellowed skin and whites of eyes
(jaundice), itching skin, darkened urine, light colored
feces, diarrhea, changed senses of taste or smell,
tenderness in upper right abdomen, and nausea.
Hepatitis D is caused by a virus that sometimes
accompanies the Hepatitis B virus. It is a defective virus
that needs HBV to survive in the host. It is also called
“Delta hepatitis.” A person who is a carrier of Hepatitis B
is sometimes also a carrier of Delta hepatitis. It produces
a sudden and severe case of viral hepatitis. Most deaths
associated with viral hepatitis are due to Hepatitis D.
There is a possibility of false-positives with all
laboratory tests. A positive test result does not confirm
the presence of disease, but rather indicates that you
may have been exposed to the virus in the past. Sexual
activity does not seem to affect the disease or recovery,
however your partner may be at risk of acquiring the
infection, especially with Hepatitis B.
Hepatitis E
Hepatitis E resembles Hepatitis A, but is caused by a
different virus from the Hepatitis A virus. It is commonly
found in the Indian Ocean area. Hepatitis E viruses are
excreted or shed in feces or indirect fecal contamination
of food, water supply, raw shellfish, hands and utensils.
Can I get viral hepatitis by
donating blood?
NO. Only sterile equipment is used in blood centers.
Needles are discarded after one use, leaving no chance
of passing hepatitis from donor to donor.