Britain Faces Growing Hepatitis C Crisis
Britain has worst record in Europe for dealing with the hepatitis C virus, according to a new report released on Friday.
While cases of the chronic liver disease are falling in France, Britain is facing a hepatitis C time bomb because not enough people with the illness are diagnosed and treated.
"If we continue to do nothing about hepatitis C then between 100,000 and 300,000 people will have to endure preventable liver disease," said Professor William Rosenberg, of the University of Southampton in southern England.
The lead author of the report commissioned by the Hepatitis C Trust in Britain said if the disease was detected and treated early, the cure rate was between 40-80 percent.
But only about 2 percent of people infected with the potentially deadly liver disease receive treatment in Britain compared to 13 percent in France.
More than 300,000 people have been diagnosed and treated with the illness in Italy, while in Britain the number is slightly more than 50,000 -- less than Spain, France and Germany.
Hepatitis C is transmitted through body fluids. Injecting drug users who share needles are particularly at risk from the virus which often shows no symptoms.
Babies can also be infected by their mothers at birth.
If symptoms do occur, they include jaundice, fatigue, abdominal pain, nausea, loss of appetite and dark urine.
"Over 400,000 people in the UK with the virus are completely unaware they have been infected. As a consequence they are not in a position to make lifestyle decisions that could reduce liver damage and may inadvertently be putting others at risk of infection," said Charles Gore, the chief executive of the trust.
The report estimates that if people in Britain living with hepatitis C are not treated, it will cost the state-funded National Health Service about 156 million pounds ($275 million) to treat liver complications in one year. After 10 years the costs could escalate to 1.8 billion pounds.
It urged Britain to set targets for screening patients for the illness, to increase public awareness and to offer immediate treatment for people diagnosed with the disease.
It action is not taken the report predicts infection rates will continue to soar, liver cancer rates will increase and the liver transplant service will be in crisis.
While cases of the chronic liver disease are falling in France, Britain is facing a hepatitis C time bomb because not enough people with the illness are diagnosed and treated.
"If we continue to do nothing about hepatitis C then between 100,000 and 300,000 people will have to endure preventable liver disease," said Professor William Rosenberg, of the University of Southampton in southern England.
The lead author of the report commissioned by the Hepatitis C Trust in Britain said if the disease was detected and treated early, the cure rate was between 40-80 percent.
But only about 2 percent of people infected with the potentially deadly liver disease receive treatment in Britain compared to 13 percent in France.
More than 300,000 people have been diagnosed and treated with the illness in Italy, while in Britain the number is slightly more than 50,000 -- less than Spain, France and Germany.
Hepatitis C is transmitted through body fluids. Injecting drug users who share needles are particularly at risk from the virus which often shows no symptoms.
Babies can also be infected by their mothers at birth.
If symptoms do occur, they include jaundice, fatigue, abdominal pain, nausea, loss of appetite and dark urine.
"Over 400,000 people in the UK with the virus are completely unaware they have been infected. As a consequence they are not in a position to make lifestyle decisions that could reduce liver damage and may inadvertently be putting others at risk of infection," said Charles Gore, the chief executive of the trust.
The report estimates that if people in Britain living with hepatitis C are not treated, it will cost the state-funded National Health Service about 156 million pounds ($275 million) to treat liver complications in one year. After 10 years the costs could escalate to 1.8 billion pounds.
It urged Britain to set targets for screening patients for the illness, to increase public awareness and to offer immediate treatment for people diagnosed with the disease.
It action is not taken the report predicts infection rates will continue to soar, liver cancer rates will increase and the liver transplant service will be in crisis.
posted by Tom at
10:35
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