[Calpernia]

a sharp object used to stab about 20 students at a school dance could have transmitted the hepatitis C virus.

[Calpernia]

ping

[rmmcdaniell]

The person who did the stabbing has not been identified, he said.

WTF?? Then how did they know they were stabbed? I someone stabbed me I would instantly look up and find out. This smells like the reporter is holding back information.

[bill1952]

Well, lets see.

Since all blood transfusions after 91 are free from Hep C, and the age of a middle schooler is probably too tender to have been exposed before that, then how did he get Hep C?

And don't say from sex. Although that possibility is theoretical, I know of no confirmed case.

[Coleus]

Kids are so wild these days.

Years ago, dances were organized by churches and social organizations to keep kids OUT of trouble, today they seem to be a magnet for trouble.

OK, get out the ribavirin and interferon.

[Calpernia]

Hepatitis C

Most commonly spread through: Intravenous drug use.

How serious: About 85 percent of those infected will develop chronic liver disease and need medical treatment. Liver failure caused by chronic hepatitis C infection is the leading cause of liver transplants in the United States. Hepatitis C leads to 8,000 to 10,000 deaths per year.

How many infected each year: 30,000 Americans, 3,000 in New Jersey. Between 4 million and 5 million Americans are infected.

Vaccine: No.

Prevention: Avoid sharing toothbrushes, razors, needles and other personal care items; avoid intravenous drugs or those inhaled through a straw or sharp object that can break the skin; use only reputable practitioners for tattooing or body piercing.