Download Young Person`s Frequently Asked Questions

Young Person’s Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is a ‘blood-borne virus’?
Blood-borne viruses, sometimes called BBVs, are viruses that can be carried in
the blood. They can spread from one person to another.
The most common blood-borne viruses are human immunodeficiency virus
(HIV), hepatitis B, and hepatitis C.
2. How common are blood-borne viruses?
They aren’t very common. We think that about 3 in every 1,000 people in the UK
have HIV. Around 1 to 5 people in every 1,000 may be hepatitis B carriers, and
around 5 to 10 people in every 1,000 may be hepatitis C carriers.
3. What are the symptoms of blood-borne viruses?
Blood-borne viruses can affect different people in different ways. Some people
may have no symptoms at the beginning, while others can be very unwell.
HIV can cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). This is where a
person’s immune system gradually stops working. Hepatitis B and hepatitis C
can cause hepatitis, where the liver swells up.
4. How are blood-borne viruses spread?
Blood-borne viruses cannot be spread through normal day-to-day things like
holding hands, coughing, sneezing, sharing toilets, or using crockery and kitchen
utensils.
Blood-borne viruses are spread when the blood from an infected person gets into
the bloodstream of another person. This can happen during unprotected sex,
when injecting drugs, or by sharing other contaminated equipment, like needles.
5. How long does it take for symptoms to appear?
For hepatitis B it usually takes about 11 weeks for symptoms to appear, but it
can take as long as 7 months from the time someone first becomes infected. For
hepatitis C it is usually about 10 weeks, but it can be as long as 6 months.
Several different conditions can result from getting HIV. Some people might get
bad flu-like symptoms, like a temperature or sore throat, between 2 to 6 weeks
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after being infected. These symptoms might change over a longer period and
can include fever, night sweats and swollen lymph glands.
6. How do you test for a blood-borne virus?
When you get a virus, your body’s immune system produces antibodies. A
simple blood test can detect these antibodies in your blood, and tell if you have
had a blood-borne virus.
These antibodies can stay in your body even if the virus is cleared. This means
that testing positive for antibodies does not necessarily mean that the virus is
still there. An ‘antigen’ is a protein on the surface of the virus, and this can tell
us for certain whether someone is still infected. There are different tests
available for the different blood-borne viruses.
7. Is there any treatment for blood-borne viruses?
Yes, many blood-borne viruses can now be treated with good results for many
patients. There are new treatments being developed all the time.
8. Is there a vaccine against blood-borne viruses?
There is a vaccine for hepatitis B for anyone who is at increased risk of getting
it. There is no vaccine for hepatitis C or HIV .
9. How can blood-borne viruses be passed through body piercing?
Tattooing and body piercing use needles to pierce the body. Needles and other
equipment can be accidentally contaminated by body fluids if good hygiene
practices are not followed. The risk of this happening is low.
10. Why are you contacting people now?
People who had a piercing or a tattoo at a specific shop may be at risk of
infection. We are sending a letter to these people to offer them a simple test for
blood-borne viruses. People who are 18 or over can get the blood test at their
GP. For children under 18 we will hold special clinics. Friendly staff at these
clinics will be able to offer advice and testing.
11. How soon will people get an appointment?
We will put on special clinics for children under 18 as soon as possible. People
who are 18 or older can go to their GP for a test.
12. How will people find out their result?
The results will be available within 2 weeks after the test. People will receive a
letter to inform them of negative results. People that test positive on the first
test will be invited for a second test.
Anyone who needs another test will be contacted by specialist nurses. A copy of
their test results will be sent to their GP unless they say otherwise.
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Being called for a second test will not necessarily mean that the person has a
blood borne virus. Most of those invited for second test will not have any bloodborne virus.
13. What if a patient’s blood test comes back positive?
Patients who get a positive result on their first test will be offered another blood
test to check if they have a blood-borne virus. If they do have one, they will get
their test result from the specialist nurses. Support and advice will be given to
help them decide about their options for treatment.
14. What happens if a person declines a test now? Can they have one
later?
People who receive a letter should get a test now. If they do not have the test
now they can arrange a test with their GP later. They should make sure they
mention that they have had a letter.
15. How do you know people are at risk of getting blood-borne viruses?
People who got a piercing at a local piercing and tattooing shop got bacterial
infections. This suggests that good hygiene practice may not have been followed
there. There is a small risk that blood-borne viruses may have been transmitted.
16. What are you doing to stop ongoing transmission?
Laws are being used to stop the owners from doing any more body piercing until
they use proper processes to stop infection from spreading.
17. Has anybody got a blood-borne virus from this shop?
We haven’t found anybody who has got a blood-borne virus from this shop.
18. How many people are you writing to?
We are writing to around 550 people in the area. A small number of people live
away from the area, or may have moved away. We will be trying to find these
people.
19. How many people could have a blood-borne virus from this body
piercing and tattooing shop?
We don’t know. Advice from national experts is that the risk of getting a bloodborne virus from piercing is low. We are writing to all people as a precaution.
20. Are you testing everyone who has visited this shop?
We have a list of customers who had a piercing or tattoo at the shop. But it
might not be everybody who went there. We can’t write to people who are not
on the list. We will test anybody that thinks they might have had a tattoo or
piercing there.
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