Should you get tested for hepatitis C? - 14 News, The Tri-State's News and Weather Leader-

"Millions of Americans have the hepatitis C virus (HCV), and many of them don't know it. This infection can cause liver damage over time, but it usually doesn't cause symptoms right away. Many people are diagnosed only through routine blood work or when they try to donate blood."

FayObserver.com - -

"Most honest mistakes can be dealt with using the conciliatory 'You have to be perfect just as soon as I am' approach. Then there are those other cases.

Someone has to explain lapses at more than half of the 42 Veterans Affairs medical centers caught in surprise inspections last month. Only 43 percent had standard operating procedures for colonoscopies and other invasive procedures, and staff properly trained to perform them."

Expert Opinion: Early detection key for treating hepatitis C - St. Petersburg Times

"Until 20 years ago, the medical profession didn't have a name for what we now call hepatitis C. Now the disease is recognized as a leading cause of cirrhosis and liver cancer, and the cause of an estimated 10,000 deaths a year in this country.

One reason it's so dangerous is that people with hepatitis C often don't show any symptoms in the early stages, and that's when treatment is most effective. So education and awareness are essential to treating the disease."

Vegas hepatitis C outbreak spurs new laws - San Jose Mercury News

"State officials have praised new laws spurred by a hepatitis C outbreak in Las Vegas that led to the largest patient notification in U.S. history, saying it will lessen the chance for a similar problem in the future.

Five measures dealing with the issue were passed this session by Nevada lawmakers and signed into law by Gov. Jim Gibbons.

The bills surfaced after more than 50,000 patients at two now-closed outpatient clinics were notified last year that they may have been exposed to blood-borne diseases by shoddy injection practices. Nine people contracted hepatitis C, and more than 100 other cases may be linked to the clinics."