Public Health England and NHS England have collaboratively launched a national drive to identify individuals living with hepatitis C, with the aim of providing them new curative treatments. Although new treatments for hepatitis C, which can potentially cure the disease have emerged lately, tens of thousands of individuals diagnosed in the past are far from getting treated.
In a new report from PHE, more than 24,500 individuals in England were seen to have received new hepatitis C treatments in the last 3 years. Ninety-five per cent of them who completed the treatment have been cured of the disease in the last 3 years. This became possible with the availability of new direct-acting antivirals on the NHS in 2015. Seventy per cent of treated individuals believe injectable drug use to be their likely risk of acquiring hepatitis C.
The PHE is urging individuals at risk of acquiring hepatitis C to get tested, particularly those with a history of injectable drug use, even if only once. Many individuals are unaware of their infection status due to lack of specific symptoms, and symptoms may sometimes be mistaken for some other conditions, thus remaining undiagnosed.
Rachel Halford, Chief Executive of The Hepatitis C Trust, said: "This re-engagement exercise will help ensure everything possible is being done to find, treat, and cure those infected and move towards elimination by 2030."
