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| Thursday, 29 September 2005 10:29 | | BNN: British Nursing News Online · www.bnn-online.co.uk
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A report published today by the Hepatitis C Trust has revealed that a failure to identify and treat a sufficient number of people infected with the disease could lead to a hepatitis C time bomb in Britain.
The report entitled ‘The UK vs. Europe: Losing the Fight against Hepatitis C,’ found that, in a league table with France, Germany, Italy and Spain, the UK finished bottom in every aspect of dealing with the virus.
In this country, the report claims, just one to two per cent of people infected with the disease receive NICE-approved treatments that could prevent liver cirrhosis and cancer. Patients in France are six to 12 times more likely to gain effective treatment.
As a consequence, the prevalence of chronic liver disease is set to fall it France, yet rates in the UK are expected to soar, costing the NHS up to £8 billion within 30 years.
Charles Gore, Chief Executive of The Hepatitis C Trust said the government must take urgent action to avert a human tragedy of endemic proportions and a financial crisis that could cripple the NHS.
“The Government needs to make hepatitis C a priority,” he said. “We have a dreadfully poor track record at diagnosing the disease.
“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.”
The report’s authors blame a failure by the Government to set adequate targets to screen for hepatitis C, which has led to only one in seven infected people being tested for the disease.
As a result patients are only being identified when they have progressed to late stage liver disease, when the only curative option is a liver transplant. There is currently an average of 750 livers available for transplantation each year. Untreated hepatitis
C is set to cost the NHS £156 million in 2006 alone.
Professor Rosenberg, University of Southampton, lead author of the report warns: “If we continue to do nothing about hepatitis C then between 100,000 and 300,000 people will have to endure preventable liver disease.
“If we catch it in time, the virus can be treated with drugs that cure 40 to 80 per cent of those infected. We have no time to lose. We need to learn what countries such as France have done to successfully manage the disease.”
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