Does it seem to anyone else that Hepatitis (A, B and C) is extremely rampant among mariners? I wonder if the CG or CDC has ever done a survey concerning this? The 30 min. video about bloodborne pathogens, once a year, doesn’t quite cut it on educating us about the disease. Obviously giving out crewmembers info who have Hep. is a HIPPA violation, but if they are placing us in limited spacing with people who have communicable diseases, who is liable/responsible if we contract it? If I’m correct about mariners having a higher rate of contracting Hepatitis, shouldn’t the CG be more concerned with it, rather than a mariner’s BMI? I personally give 100% effort in trying to kill my liver at home. I don’t need any competition from a communicable disease to assist me.
Get vaccinated. Takes a few months and a few shots.
WTF…
Never ran into it working. Whereinthehell do you work where hep is an issue?
Must be lots of ex IV drug users on tugs. I’ve only worked with one guy years ago who had hep and he told everyone so they would know. Haven’t run into anyone since. Well unless they were hiding it for some reason.
I always thought the needle tracks on my reliefs arms meant he was a diabetic ???
Yeah drug use involving needles is ONE way to contract it, others include unprotected sex, feces and bodily fluids. Maybe it’s only rampant in the tug fleet, maybe others are keeping it on the down low. Don’t think too many people would be upfront about having a contagious disease afterall. On another note, maybe it’s all the Tony Chachere’s cajun seasoning that’s making you guys in the Gulf immune to it? 
Not on the tugs that I’ve ever worked aboard.
HEP is a problem in the GOM along with diabetes. Drug use in the late 70’s and lax drug testing in the 80’s and 90’s did not help. Since then, lax testing and enforcement by the USCG at smaller companies allows it to continue.
The diabetes was because of lifestyle on and off the boats. It is beginning to disappear as the medical stuff kicks in.
Remember, the laws and regs never change unless somebody dies, a lot of oil is spilled or the USCG is embarrassed. They will fight international convention (witness STCW 95) but they will not change unless they forced to.
I thank my lucky stars that drugs and other related issues are memory, at least where I work.
Everyone should take the vac. if someone gets hurt and you get body fluids transfered you are required to take the test and vac. I had crewmember get degloved lots of blood, then you wait for their test and yours. Better to get vac.
Only known two people with Hep C. One got it from blood transfusion in VietNam, course he lasted 30+ years longer with the disease than without the blood. The other contracted it from tainted food/water in Mexico in 1982.
I once worked with a guy who had Hep C. He told me he had it. We were shipyard workers back then, and they had paired us up to install some lighting, panels and kickpipes, and run cables, so there was a possibility of being exposed to a cut or abrasion (albeit remote). He didn’t elaborate on how he got it, and I didn’t ask, but I did appreciate that he told me. I remember that he had a pill case with a lot of different medications he had to take.
Hep C is a problem that needs to be understood and accepted by everyone on board the vessel. The infected crew member must be responsible and inform his Captain and ship mates that he is infected so that everyone can take necessary precautions whilst on board. The seafarers medical report should state this infection on the form whereby the Master will know upon him signing on anyway, and then the rest of the crew can be advised of the risk. That’s the rule around here in most of SE Asia anyway.
However, it should not be an issue of how he got infected, but on how to prevent or minimize the risk at least, so that the rest of the crew are not infected.
There are a few countries here in Asia that forbid their Nationals from sailing if they are infected with certain highly contagious diseases including Hep C.
This is a disease that must not be treated lightly, but by the same token, the infected seafarer should not be discriminated against for having it.
If and when I have a crew member joining ship that has been infected with a contagious disease such as Hep C, I make a point of quietly discussing it with him and the rest of the crew so that we all take extra precautions. As you all probably know, Hep C is easy to get, but bloody impossible to get rid of. And for most cases it is a death warrant.
L
Now my opinion is only from the tug and barge side, but…
You cant openly run the crew member off, but his stay will be less than comfortable, and any responsible maritime employer should not put the entire rest of the crew at risk because of this. We live in very tight quarters, sharing cooking and cleaning duties, deck work, there is 7 men here, and how could someone ever make me feel comfortable, knowing that your basically a walking death sentence that i share the same galley-head-cookware with.
Dont worry BM I know what you mean and the concerns you have. No problem.
I know someone that recently quit a job in NY harbor because of a guy onboard (recent immigrant) with Hep C.
Doctors tell me that there is a lot of Hep in the quiet middle class town that I live in. I do know a couple people that have had Hep C for a long time. There are enough of them that they have a good sized support group. It does not appear to be a “death warrant” if it is managed properly.
Everyone should be required to get the vaccine for Hep A & B (same as polio vaccine). There is no vaccine for Hep C. I’m told that there is also a Hep D, but I have not heard anything about it.
How much of an issue is TB?
While at Ingalls Shipbuilding in MS back in the 90’s the Venezuelan Navy sent some of their ‘Lupo’ class frigates in for some modernization. HS&E shut the entire project down because of the Cholera and HepC found in the bilges. SCARY
[QUOTE=gcsaylor;84927]While at Ingalls Shipbuilding in MS back in the 90’s the Venezuelan Navy sent some of their ‘Lupo’ class frigates in for some modernization. HS&E shut the entire project down because of the Cholera and HepC found in the bilges. SCARY[/QUOTE]
Sweet. The bilges were the toilets. Reminds me of my yardbird days. Actually, though, I’m surprised they tested for such things- was that their normal protocol or did some people get sick?
In my day the only diseases we worried about were malaria and VD. Before the ship would arrive in a malaria infested country the Chief Mate would pass out these white malaria tablets, apparently they worked. VD, well that’s preventable also. Before we signed on a ship we had to have shots for various diseases and carry our shot card with us. I can’t imagine living in an environment spelled out in this thread. Got to say, this needs attention by both the companies and government. Being employed shouldn’t be a health hazard to any seaman.
[QUOTE=Sweat-n-Grease;84974]In my day the only diseases we worried about were malaria and VD. Before the ship would arrive in a malaria infested country the Chief Mate would pass out these white malaria tablets, apparently they worked. VD, well that’s preventable also. Before we signed on a ship we had to have shots for various diseases and carry our shot card with us. I can’t imagine living in an environment spelled out in this thread. Got to say, this needs attention by both the companies and government. Being employed shouldn’t be a health hazard to any seaman.[/QUOTE]
Well said Chief. I sailed with a Skipper that had Hep-B IRRC, he took a pile of pills everyday. He was into using nature to cure him. He lived for over twenty years with this and died a couple of years ago. He did have a couple of problems with the crew complaining about getting infected, so he had a couple of different doctors write letters to the company stating that his was not contagious. I was very careful whenever I had to work on the MSD when he was aboard though. I guess he was right as we had a lot of problems with the Shit System on that boat and I never caught anything. Either that or I was just to mean for any bugs to grow on me, at least that’s what some of my Assistants said.
I was talking to a young person a a local watering hole the other day and all I can say is I am glad that I am not young again and have to deal with all of the shit that is around now. The only thing I will say is the young ladies in my day did not look like the young-ins look today. I guess I have finally got old!