Hepatitis C Deaths: Legacy Of Our Past Behaviour

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r.html Hepatitis C Deaths: Legacy Of Our Past Behaviour Many hepatitis C

infections in the UK stem from recreational injecting drug use that began in the

1960s according to a new report released today by the Health Protection

Agency.Hepatitis C in the UK, an annual report for 2008, profiles the burden of

hepatitis C and highlights that many people remain unaware of their infections.

Decades on from the 60s, evidence is continuing to emerge of hepatitis C related

liver disease, a worrying trend that, according to the Agency, will continue

unless more people are tested, diagnosed and given access to effective

treatment.

Hepatitis C is a chronic blood borne viral infection that affects the liver. The

infection is usually silent for many years, but long-term inflammation of the

liver can lead to liver damage. By the time illness becomes apparent, it may

have caused serious liver disease and this can result in liver failure and

death.

It is thought that around 250,000 people in the UK have ever been infected with

the virus, with only one quarter of these expected to have cleared the

infection. It is estimated that around a half of people living with hepatitis C

have not been tested for the infection and are unaware they have contracted it.

Without treatment, these individuals will be living with the virus and are at

risk of developing serious liver disease.

Dr Helen , a hepatitis C expert from the Health Protection Agency, said:

" Hepatitis C is a disease many people associate with current drug use, but we

should not forget people who could have been infected many years ago and are

unaware of their infection. For example, people may have been infected by

sharing needles once or twice when they were younger, and are now living stable

everyday lives. "

In England, the Agency has estimated that the number of people becoming infected

increased dramatically after 1960, reaching almost 15,000 new infections in

1988. This increase is now being reflected in deaths from liver disease more

than two decades later.

People who feel that they may have unknowingly put themselves at risk are being

urged to come forward and get tested. The number of laboratory confirmed

diagnoses of hepatitis C infection in England reported to the HPA in 2007 was

7540; a 12 per cent increase on the previous year. This increase suggests that

more people are coming forward to be tested. Much of the increase this year is

thought to be due to increased awareness about hepatitis C amongst both health

care workers and the public.

The main risks in the UK are injecting drug use and the sharing of contaminated

needles or equipment, and receiving a blood transfusion before screening began

in 1991. People born and raised in high prevalence countries (many countries in

Africa, Latin America and central and South-Eastern Asia) could have also been

infected through other forms of blood exposure such as unsterile medical

equipment.

Dr Ramsay, Consultant in Public Health at the Health Protection Agency,

said: " The Health Protection Agency monitors trends in hepatitis C at a national

level and works with other agencies through our network of local leads to

improve services for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis. "

By: Health Protection Agency - Wed, 12/10/2008