World Hepatitis Day on Thursday has prompted advice from the Western NSW Local Health District that “gone are the old days of months of gruelling treatment with no guaranteed results”.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Co-ordinator of its Blood Borne Virus Prevention Program Trevor Slattery is reporting of advances in treatment and encouraging testing.
This week the health district told of new treatments for hepatitis C, for which a vaccine is not available.
On the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme since March, they have a cure rate of more than 90 per cent, it reports.
The health district reiterated that hepatitis B, Australia’s leading cause of liver cancer and liver transplantation, could be prevented with a vaccine.
It argues that “knowing your status could significantly impact upon your future health”, given the availability of effective treatment options.
The health district has confirmed that “many of those living with the virus do not know they have it”.
But blood tests are available and increasingly treatment options can be managed through GPs, it reports.
Mr Slattery highlighted the ways hepatitis B and C could be transmitted.
“Travel to high prevalence countries without vaccination, unregulated home or overseas tattooing, sharing injecting equipment, and even seemingly benign everyday practices can put you at risk of transmission if blood-to-blood contact is involved,” he said.
“The best way to be sure is to test, vaccinate for hepatitis B if you haven’t already and treat if appropriate.”
Mr Slattery welcomed changes to the “hepatitis treatment landscape”.
“The great news is that treatments are better than ever and getting easier all the time.” he said.
“Gone are the old days of months of gruelling treatment with no guaranteed results.
“For hepatitis C in particular it’s a very exciting time to see how quickly and easily it can change a person’s health.”
The health district regards World Hepatitis Day on July 28 to be an “excellent opportunity to come together as a community and start a conversation on testing, treating and preventing the spread of hepatitis in our towns”.