----- Original Message -----
From: "Norm Seiff" <>
To: "Steve(HCV S G) Goslawski" ; ColonelDan
Sent: Saturday, July 31, 2004 6:13 PM
Subject: AND......We might have a "WINNER" >>>>>>SC forHCV


> From: HMAwareness@... Add to Address Book
> Date: Sat, 31 Jul 2004 14:43:33 EDT
> Subject: Relationship Between Immunization with Jet
> Injectors and Hepatitis C
> To: cvso@...
>
> DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS Veterans Benefits
> Administration
> Washington, D.C. 20420
> June 29, 2004
>
> Director (00/21)
>
> In Reply Refer To: 211
>
> All VA Regional Offices
>
> Fast Letter 04-13
>
>
> SUBJ: Relationship Between Immunization with Jet
> Injectors and
> Hepatitis C
>
> Infection as it Relates to Service Connection
>
>
> US Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington,�? DC is
> posted on the
> Internet (http://www.hcvets.com/). On this site, the
> following is
> incorrectly ascribed to Dr. Deyton: "Anyone who had
> inoculations with
> the jet injector were [sic] at risk of having
> hepatitis C and should be
> tested." .............
>
>
> From HCVets.com
>
> This went out to all regional VA offices. Let's make
> it perfectly clear,
> Dr. Deyton told me and others this in April 2002, we
> did not MISQUOTE
> him. Please pass along our reponse and read the
> following article by Mike McGraw that also quotes Dr.
> Deyton as saying,
>
>
> "Lawrence Deyton, who directs VA public health
> programs, said it's possible the devices could
> transmit hepatitis C: "I am sure that, with the right
> degree of misuse, the devices could become
> contaminated."
>
>
> And remind you of the quote from Bob Harrington, the
> Pet-O-Jet jet gun manufacturer, stating "all guns
> should be wiped off," like it would matter, lol. So,
> we have that degree of misuse Deyton speaks of and in
> combination with reused vials quoted below:)
>
>
> Here's the link to the quote from Harrington
> http://hcvets.com/data/transmission_methods/jet_injection_ANFIM.htm
>
>
> Tricia Lupole
> National Coordinator
> Hepatitis C Movement for Awareness
> http://hcvets.com/
>
>
> DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS Veterans Benefits
> Administration Washington, D.C. 20420
>
> June 29, 2004
> Director (00/21)
> In Reply Refer To: 211
>
> All VA Regional Offices
> Fast Letter 04-13
>
>
>
> SUBJ: Relationship Between Immunization with Jet
> Injectors and Hepatitis C
>
> Infection as it Relates to Service Connection
>
>
> BACKGROUND: In August 2003, one regional office
> issued a rating decision granting service connection
> for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection as the result of
> immunization with a �?ojet air gun.�?� A misleading
> statement, incorrectly ascribed to Lawrence Deyton
> MSPH, MD Chief Consultant, Public Health Strategic
> Health Care Group, US Department of Veterans Affairs,
> Washington,�? DC is posted on the Internet
> (http://www.hcvets.com/). On this site, the following
> is incorrectly ascribed to Dr. Deyton: "Anyone who had
> inoculations with the jet injector were [sic] at risk
> of having hepatitis C and should be tested."
>
>
> KEY POINTS:
>
> �?� HCV is spread primarily by contact with blood and
> blood products. The highest prevalence of HCV
> infection is among those with repeated, direct
> percutaneous (through the skin) exposures to blood
> (e.g., injection drug users, recipients of blood
> transfusions before screening of the blood supply
> began in 1992, and people with hemophilia who were
> treated with clotting factor concentrates before
> 1987).
>
>
> �?� Since the 1990�?Ts, injection drug use has been
> the principal mode of transmission of HCV. Because of
> screening procedures, HCV is now only rarely
> transmitted by blood product transfusion or organ
> transplant. Clotting factor concentrates are
> processed in such a way that the virus is inactivated;
> these viral inactivation procedures have virtually
> eliminated clotting factor concentrates as a source
> for HCV.
>
>
> �?� Population studies suggest HCV can be sexually
> transmitted. However, the chance for sexual
> transmission of hepatitis C is well below comparable
> rates for HIV/AIDS or hepatitis B infection.
> Researchers studied five groups of
>
>
> Page 2
>
> Director (00/21)
>
> All VA Regional Offices
>
>
> monogamous couples, in which only one was infected
> with HCV. Less than five percent of the uninfected
> partners became infected with HCV during the time
> periods studied.
>
>
> �?� Occupational exposure to HCV may occur in the
> health care setting through accidental needle sticks.
> A veteran may have been exposed to HCV during the
> course of his or her duties as a military corpsman, a
> medical worker, or as a consequence of being a combat
> veteran.
>
>
> �?� When needles (and other objects that puncture the
> skin) are contaminated with HCV infected blood and are
> then used by others, HCV can be transmitted. HCV can
> potentially be transmitted with reuse of needles for
> tattoos, body piercing, and acupuncture.
>
>
>
> �?� The hepatitis B virus is heartier and more
> readily transmitted than hepatitis C. While there is
> at least one case report of hepatitis B being
> transmitted by an airgun injection, thus far, there
> have been no case reports of HCV being transmitted by
> an airgun transmission.
>
>
>
> �?� The source of infection is unknown in about 10
> percent of acute HCV cases and in 30 percent of
> chronic HCV cases. These infections may have come
> from blood-contaminated cuts or wounds, contaminated
> medical equipment or multi-dose vials of medications.
>
>
>
>
> CONCLUSION:
>
> The large majority of HCV infections can be accounted
> for by known modes of transmission, primarily
> transfusion of blood products before 1992, and
> injection drug use. Despite the lack of any
> scientific evidence to document transmission of HCV
> with airgun injectors, it is biologically plausible.
> It is essential that the report upon which the
> determination of service connection is made includes a
> full discussion of all modes of transmission, and a
> rationale as to why the examiner believes the airgun
> was the source of the veteran�?Ts hepatitis C.
>
> /s/
>
>
> Carolyn F. Hunt
>
>
> Acting Director
>
>
> Compensation and Pension Service
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> __________________________________
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