Awareness And Testing For Hepatitis C Are Increasing, UK

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Awareness And Testing For Hepatitis C Are Increasing, UK

31 Dec 2006

A new report from the Health Protection Agency shows that the number

of people newly diagnosed with hepatitis C has increased; from 2,116

in 1996, to 7,580 in 2005. New figures also show that testing for

hepatitis C has increased overall, for example, in GP surgeries',

testing has increased by almost 60 per cent between 2002 and 2005.

The latest estimates on the number of adults infected with hepatitis

C showed there were around 231,000 in 2003. Many of these infected

people do not realise they have the virus as it can take years or

even decades for symptoms to appear. Early treatment, however, is

effective at clearing the virus in the majority of people. It is

therefore important that individuals at risk are tested by their GP

or other health services.

Dr Helen , a Hepatitis C expert from the Agency said “This is

the second annual report on Hepatitis C from the Health Protection

Agency, summarising current knowledge of the infection and the action

being taken to tackle it. Hepatitis C is very under-diagnosed simply

because people are unaware that they are carrying it. By increasing

awareness of the infection, more people will be tested, will receive

earlier and more effective treatment, and they can avoid passing it

on to others.â€

“We estimate that almost 6 in 10 people with hepatitis C injected

drugs at some point in their past. If someone has ever shared

equipment for injecting drugs - even if it was a long time ago, and

even if they only did it once or twice - they could be at risk from

hepatitis C. A simple blood test can establish whether someone has

ever been infected with the virusâ€

Professor Pete Borriello, Director of the Agency's Centre for

Infections said,â€Testing for hepatitis C has increased

significantly, however there is still much work to be done as a

significant number of individuals remain undiagnosed. If you don't

know you've got it, you can't do anything about it. Health services

should consider this as they formulate strategies to increase

testing.â€

The report highlights the Department of Health's hepatitis C

awareness campaign, FaCe It, which has now reached over 16 million

people. The exhibition campaign visits cities across England and

features large photographic portraits of people living with Hepatitis

C.

Hepatitis C in England - An Update 2006 is published by the Health

Protection Agency and contributors. To see a full copy of the report,

click here.

Contributions to the report were received from a number of people

from the Health Protection Agency as well as The Department of

Health, The National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse and The

Trent Hepatitis C Cohort Study Group. Anyone who thinks they might be

at risk of infection should contact their doctor or nurse or call the

Hepatitis C Information Line on 0800 451 451 or visit

http://www.hepc.nhs.uk

Between 70-80% of adults with hepatitis C become chronically

infected. The preliminary estimates for 2003 suggest that 0.53% of

the 15-59 year age group in England and Wales were chronically

infected. Although prevalence estimates in older individuals are less

secure, as the major risk factor for hepatitis C is injecting drug

use, we expect the prevalence in older individuals to be lower than

in the 15-59 year old population. Similarly, the prevalence in

children under 15 years is expected to be very low.

Sentinel surveillance suggests that testing in GP surgeries has

increased by almost 60% because 8584 individuals were tested in nine

sentinel laboratories in 2005 compared to 5382 individuals being

tested in the same laboratories in 2002.

Laboratory confirmed diagnoses for hepatitis C rose from 6341 in 2003

to 7580 in 2005. This indicates that the rate of diagnoses has risen

and therefore that more diagnostic testing is taking place.

Hepatitis means swelling or inflammation of the liver. The most

common causes of hepatitis are viral infections. Hepatitis C

infection (also known as Hep C or HCV) is one such virus that can

cause long-lasting infection and can lead to liver disease. The UK is

the only major developed nation showing an upward trend in the number

of deaths from liver disease.