The HSE today (Thursday) urged anyone who may be at risk of hepatitis C to get tested as it is estimated that between 20,000 and 50,000 people in Ireland are chronically infected with hepatitis C, more than half whom are not aware of the infection.
Effective testing and treatment are available, according to Professor Suzanne Norris, speaking on behalf of the HSE National Hepatitis C Implementation Group, to mark World Hepatitis Day 2013.
“About 1,000 new cases are notified each year and Irish health services will come under pressure in the future if we don’t actively work to prevent new cases occurring and diagnose and treat the cases that have already occurred.
“Hepatitis C is often called ‘the silent pandemic’, partly because the virus takes so long to manifest itself in those infected and is largely spread by blood-to-blood contact.
“For most, initially there are no discernible symptoms, or non-specific ones such as general fatigue. This apparently benign situation can last for decades before turning decidedly worse. Most patients develop chronic liver disease.
“A minority– estimated at 20-30% -develop cirrhosis of the liver, which typically appears after two or three decades. Those patients also suffer a higher risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common type of liver cancer. The healthcare costs of these ‘end-stage conditions’ of hepatitis C can be substantial. They are the leading cause of liver transplants worldwide, including in Europe, the US and Japan.
“Anyone who may have put themselves at risk of hepatitis C, either through current activities or due to a past lifestyle should visit their GP and get tested. While the majority of hepatitis C infections are related to injecting drug use, hepatitis C can be acquired by any blood to blood contact,” said Professor Norris.
World Hepatitis Day is an annual event, endorsed by the World Health Organization. Each year it provides international focus for patient groups and people living with hepatitis B and C and provides an opportunity for interested groups to raise awareness and influence real change in disease prevention and access to testing and treatment. The World Hepatitis Alliance has suggested that co-ordinated global media activity take place on Thursday 25th July as World Hepatitis Day falls on a Sunday (28th July) this year.
For further information please go to www.worldhepatitisalliance.org, www.hse.ie, www.hpsc.ie, or drugs.ie's page on Hepatitis C
Download Hepatitis C Poster 1
Download Hepatitis C Poster 2
Source: HSE.ie, 25/07/2013
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