Bringing the ‘silent killer’ hepatitis C into the open

[Guest guest]

http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/4815264.Bringing_the____silent_killer____i\

nto_the_open/Bringing the ‘silent killer’ hepatitis C into the open7:00pm Monday

21st December 2009By Joanna Codd » NEW cases of hepatitis C are soaring in the

south-west amid fears that many more people may be infected without realising

they have the virus. Now a Dorset woman who contracted hepatitis C more than 20

years ago has decided to speak publicly about her own experience to encourage

others to come forward for testing. Sue Ham, 49, from Poole, was tested for

diabetes at the end of 2005 because her hand was not healing after an

operation. Although she did not have that disease, further tests led to

hepatitis C virus being diagnosed in 2006. She believes she may have contracted

the virus through injecting drugs in her early 20s, although she had also had a

blood transfusion when she gave birth to her first child. The latest figures

from the Health Protection Agency show that the south-west region, which

includes Dorset, had one of the highest numbers of newly diagnosed hepatitis C

last year at 1,103. The rise – six per cent since 2007 – mirrors what is

happening elsewhere in the UK. Sometimes known as the “silent killer”, hepatitis

C is a viral infection spread when the blood of an infected person mixes with a

recipient’s blood. The disease does not necessarily have any symptoms for years,

but left undiagnosed and untreated it causes swelling and inflammation of the

liver, and can lead to cirrhosis and cancer. Some people only find out when they

are in end-stage liver disease and need a transplant to survive. Sue admits she

was almost relieved to have the diagnosis, as she had been experiencing aches

and pains, nausea and tiredness for some time. After six months of injections

and tablets, she remains free of the disease more than two years on. Her

experience prompted her to set up the Dorset Hepatitis Support Group, which

meets at 7pm on the first Tuesday of each month in Springbourne Library,

Holdenhurst Road, Bournemouth. “We get people from all walks of life. “You could

get it from having your ears pierced, having a tattoo or a blood

transfusion. “Some people don’t know how they got it,” said Sue. “If anyone has

any doubts, they need to go to their GP and ask to be tested.” For more

information, see hepdorset.weebly.com

[Guest guest]

http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/4815264.Bringing_the____silent_killer____i\

nto_the_open/Bringing the ‘silent killer’ hepatitis C into the open7:00pm Monday

21st December 2009By Joanna Codd » NEW cases of hepatitis C are soaring in the

south-west amid fears that many more people may be infected without realising

they have the virus. Now a Dorset woman who contracted hepatitis C more than 20

years ago has decided to speak publicly about her own experience to encourage

others to come forward for testing. Sue Ham, 49, from Poole, was tested for

diabetes at the end of 2005 because her hand was not healing after an

operation. Although she did not have that disease, further tests led to

hepatitis C virus being diagnosed in 2006. She believes she may have contracted

the virus through injecting drugs in her early 20s, although she had also had a

blood transfusion when she gave birth to her first child. The latest figures

from the Health Protection Agency show that the south-west region, which

includes Dorset, had one of the highest numbers of newly diagnosed hepatitis C

last year at 1,103. The rise – six per cent since 2007 – mirrors what is

happening elsewhere in the UK. Sometimes known as the “silent killer”, hepatitis

C is a viral infection spread when the blood of an infected person mixes with a

recipient’s blood. The disease does not necessarily have any symptoms for years,

but left undiagnosed and untreated it causes swelling and inflammation of the

liver, and can lead to cirrhosis and cancer. Some people only find out when they

are in end-stage liver disease and need a transplant to survive. Sue admits she

was almost relieved to have the diagnosis, as she had been experiencing aches

and pains, nausea and tiredness for some time. After six months of injections

and tablets, she remains free of the disease more than two years on. Her

experience prompted her to set up the Dorset Hepatitis Support Group, which

meets at 7pm on the first Tuesday of each month in Springbourne Library,

Holdenhurst Road, Bournemouth. “We get people from all walks of life. “You could

get it from having your ears pierced, having a tattoo or a blood

transfusion. “Some people don’t know how they got it,” said Sue. “If anyone has

any doubts, they need to go to their GP and ask to be tested.” For more

information, see hepdorset.weebly.com