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Teaching About Hepatitis

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Hi ,

I'm glad to hear you have a plan of action for informing your niece's Health

teacher about Hepatitis C. That's the way to go, and I'm pretty sure it will

benefit future students in the class.

You're right to observe that most of the general public (if they know

anything at all about Hep C) thinks it is an automatic death sentence. Look at

how the press describes it: The Silent Killer. Even our own " in-group " reports,

postings, etc. often give it that urgent, desperate spin, emphasizing the rising

mortality rate and the lack of a widely effective treatment.

I'm pretty sure your niece's teacher wasn't maliciously giving wrong

information, and won't claim any " right " to misinform. A Health teacher has to

instruct on the functioning of all body systems, diet, drugs, personal hygiene,

mental health, family and social relationships, maturation, aging and death,

reproductive issues (pregnancy, birth, birth control, sexually transmitted

diseases), environmental health and probably more that slips my mind right now.

That's a tall order, and no one can be an independent expert in every area.

Unless the teacher has some personal experience in dealing with Hepatitis C,

she/he is not likely to know more about its fine points than what is presented

in the text.

Texts are typically about 5 years or more behind the latest developments,

due to publication schedules and each school's purchase cycle. My Health text

(paraphrasing, because I don't have it at hand), refers to hepatitis as a

serious, life threatening illness. It discusses modes of transmission of Heps A

and B. Very little specific information is offered about Hep C, but Hep C is

referred to as the most dangerous of the hepatitis types because of a lack of

vaccine or treatment. I think it is easy to imagine that a teacher, wishing to

put an urgent " this disease is dangerous, so take it seriously " spin on the

issue, could stress the 'death sentence' aspect -- incorrectly, but without evil

intention.

So, what can be done to re-orient and calm your niece? Here's what I would

do, though I realize it is late in the school year. A family member, ideally

your Sis, should meet with the teacher to have a friendly discussion of the

issue, the incident in the class and its effects at home. (Teachers are

required to meet with parents or guardians, at a mutually convenient time, upon

request.) I would not take the niece to this meeting. I would explore with the

teacher possibilities for educating the niece, in depth, about this issue. How

about an extra credit, special project on Hep C, which the niece could prepare

with family help? If time allows in the semester, it could be presented to the

class, maybe together with a guest expert speaker. The point is to help the

niece learn more, clarify doubts and calm her fears. I'd politely suggest to the

teacher that he/she has an obligation to cooperate with this, since the class

incident provoked the family crisis.

Hopefully, whatever you decide to do will yield a good result. It is late in

the year to begin school projects, etc. but I'd put the niece to work on this

research anyway. Maybe she can put it to use in a class next year, or maybe it

will just be of private benefit. But it sounds like she needs it in any case.

Best of luck.

Franz

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