By PAUL HARASIM / RJ
A number of veterans as
well as doctors now
believe that Vietnam
veterans...could have
contracted hepatitis C
through unsafe jet gun
vaccinations.
While it’s possible the government’s position on transmission of hepatitis C among boomers may have resulted in less testing, it’s critical today boomers forget any fears of stigma and get the easy blood test.
Subcutaneous
injections of a drug containing human immunoglobulins
Infect Dis 1977 Feb;135(2):252-8
Petrilli FL, Crovari P, De Flora
Since late 1974 and early 1975,
several cases of viral hepatitis were reported in Italy among subjects who had
received subcutaneous injections of a drug containing human immunoglobulins that
was prescribed for the treatment of allergies. Epidemiologic and laboratory
investigations provided evidence that the original immunoglobulins, the series
of the drug containing these immunoglobulins, and sera from a number of patients
were all positive for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBs Ag) of the adw subtype,
which is relatively rare in Italy. Some sera from patients and healthy subjects
treated with the HBs Ag-positive drug were also found to be positive for
antibody to HBs Ag of the adw subtype. The clinical course of the disease was
consistent with typical forms of icteric hepatitis in all patients examined. The
average length of the possible incubation period was 111-143 days, and an
inverse relation was observed between the number of doses administered and the
length of the incubation period. The possibility that immunoglobulins can be
responsible for the transmission of viral hepatitis raises a number of
theoretical and practical problems concerning control and use of these blood
products.
