[ad_1]
WELLINGTON, July 26 (Xinhua) – About 45,000 New Zealanders are living with hepatitis C. However, due to the symptoms that often do not appear for many years, half of them may not know when ‘they have it, a health official said ahead of World Hepatitis Day which falls on Wednesday.
Hepatitis C testing clinics will be set up across New Zealand on World Hepatitis Day to allow at-risk Kiwis to be tested for the virus, the chief executive of health, Ashley Bloomfield, in a statement.
Hepatitis C is a blood-borne virus that attacks the liver and can lead to cancer, Bloomfield said.
“The virus is a major threat to public health in New Zealand. About 1,000 people contract hepatitis C each year and 200 people die from it. Hepatitis C is the leading cause of liver transplantation in New Zealand and the second leading cause of liver cancer (behind hepatitis B), ”he said.
There is now a very effective treatment that can cure up to 98% of people with chronic hepatitis C, but to achieve elimination, all people infected with the virus must be diagnosed in order to receive this treatment. Bloomfield said.
People at risk include those who have ever injected drugs, received a tattoo or body piercing with non-sterile equipment, received medical treatment in a high-risk country, or were born to a mother with hepatitis C, he said.
World Hepatitis Day will also see the launch of New Zealand’s National Hepatitis C Action Plan, which focuses on hepatitis C awareness, prevention, testing and treatment, according to the Ministry of Health. Final element
Source link
