Hepatitis C virus in Africa (focus on Ethiopia) - Research Paper Example

after a series of tests and the discovery of the Hepatitis c virus was published in the journal Science the following year (Bailey 105).this paper will elaborate on Hepatitis C virus in Africa , discuss its signs, symptoms vaccination and treatment. This was a significant discovery in the medical world and led to the improvement of related areas such as diagnosis of hepatitis as well as antiviral treatment against the disease. The research on hepatitis is an ongoing process and scientists are still trying to learn more about the virus in a bid to find a way to effectively eliminate it form the world (Fisher, Harvey & Champe 362).

The discovery of the virus led to a clear baseline on which research could be done having determined the subject of their studies and this has greatly improved the chances of the medical world at fighting the virus. The significance of this discovery was portrayed in the year 200 when Dr. Houghton and Dr. Alter received honors from the Lasker Award for Clinical Medical Research in recognition of the role they played in the discovery of the hepatitis C virus (Halliday, Klenerman & Barnes 634).

Hepatitis C can be described as an infectious disease that primarily affects the liver of an individual and in bad cases leading to cirrhosis (Thomas & Lemon 530). The disease is caused by the Hepatitis C virus, and if not handled effectively, the disease can lead to liver cancer, esophageal and gastric varices and liver failure. The spread of the Hepatitis C virus occurs mainly through blood-to-blood contact and thus those who use intravenous drugs face the highest risk of being infected (Bailey 101).

This occurs when the equipment used during the intravenous intake are not properly cleaned and sterilized beforehand and have previously been used by an individual with the virus (Fisher, Harvey & Champe 362). The virus tends to persist in the liver of most people who are infected though this condition can be treated via medication. Hepatitis C has