Snow is expected on Monday, Jan. 26. Boston Medical Center will remain open with normal hours. Please contact your clinic if you need to reschedule your appointment. Our phone lines will be open starting at 6:30 a.m. on Monday.
Hepatitis C is a virus that causes liver inflammation, passed through exposure to blood from an infected person. Symptoms, including jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes), fatigue, and stomach pain, may not be present and the infection may remain undetected. Years after the infection has caused permanent liver damage, symptoms might include bleeding easily, confusion, leg swelling, and more.
HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is the virus that causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome, or AIDS. HIV is spread through sex, breast milk, shared needles, or from a mother with HIV to her baby in the womb.
Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are passed from person to person through sexual contact. Often there are no symptoms, so an infected person may not know they are putting others at risk for an STD. Examples of STDs include bacterial infections like gonorrhea and syphilis and viral infections like HPV (human papillomavirus) and HIV.
Drug addiction, also called substance use disorder, is a disease that affects a person's brain and behavior and leads to an inability to control the use of a legal or illegal drug or medication.