Viral Hepatitis Strategic Plan
Appendix B
Glossary of Terms
Action plans: Steps to be taken in order to meet each of the strategies identifi ed for the focus areas of the plan.
Acute hepatitis: Newly acquired hepatitis lasting less than six months, sometimes, but not always, with symptoms.
Anti-HCV: Hepatitis C antibodies.
Asymptomatic: The absence of symptoms or to be without symptoms.
Cholestatic hepatitis: Hepatitis impacting the function of the gall bladder.
Chronic hepatitis: Long-term hepatitis, usually lasting longer than 6 months. May occur in those infected with hepatitis B and C.
Cirrhosis: Extensive and permanent scarring of the liver. Cirrhosis interferes with the normal functioning of the liver.
Drug paraphernalia: This term includes cotton, cookers, water used by injection drug users to prepare drugs for injection.
EIA: Enzyme Immunoassay. A test used to detect antibodies circulating in the blood.
Endemicity (Endemic) : The usual or expected occurrence of disease.
Epidemiology: The study of distribution and determinants of disease.
Fulminant hepatitis: Severe form of hepatitis with sudden onset.
Hepatitis: A term meaning inflammation of the liver.
Hepatitis B carrier: A person who has had hepatitis B for longer than 6 months. They usually have no symptoms but remain infected for a lifetime.
Hepatocellular carcinoma: A type of cancer that may occur in people with chronic hepatitis.
Immune globulin (IG): A concentrated solution of antibodies prepared from pooled human plasma of someone immune to a particular disease.
Immunogenic: Relating to or producing an immune response.
Incidence: The number of new cases of infection that occur in a population during a certain time period.
Incubation period: The time interval between initial contact with an infectious agent and the first appearance of symptoms associated with the infection.
Long-Term Goal: Long range preference as to what should be accomplished in the next five years.
Mission: The fundamental reason or purpose for the existence of the Viral Hepatitis Strategic Plan; the mission statement expresses what the New York State Department of Health want to achieve in the long run by creating and implementing the plan.
Percutaneous: A procedure per formed through the skin. A percutaneous exposure occurs when potentially infected blood enters the skin through a needle stick.
Prevalence: The number of infected individuals in a population at a given point in time.
RIBA: Recombinant immunoblot assay. A supplemental anti-HCV test with a high specificity.
Strategies: What needs to be done in order to meet the long-term goal of each focus area.
Strategic Priorities: Top priorities of the strategic plan.
Surveillance: Procedures used in public health to monitor disease incidence, prevalence and trends, and the effectiveness of prevention strategies.
Vision: The collective sense of where New York State wants to go in five years in the prevention and management of viral hepatitis.
Viremia: The presence of virus in the blood of a host.