World Hepatitis Day 2011

28 July 2011

Regional HPA Predicts Almost 700 People in Yorkshire and the Humber May Need Liver Transplants by 2015 due to Hepatitis C, Unless Action is Taken 

Today is World Hepatitis Day and latest figures from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) have estimated that 4,200 people in England are expected to be suffering from end-stage liver disease caused by hepatitis C by 2020.
 

In Yorkshire and the Humber, predictions are that 696 people will already be living with hepatitis C related end-stage liver disease in the region by 2015. In 2010 alone, there were 980 newly diagnosed individuals with hepatitis C infection (all stages) in Yorkshire and the Humber. This is a significant increase when compared with the regional figure of 393 cases recorded ten years ago in 2000, however this increase is likely to be in part, due to increased awareness and more people coming forward for testing.
 

The predicted health burden is of serious concern to experts at the Health Protection Agency Yorkshire and the Humber. End-stage liver disease results in death unless a liver transplant is made available. The future burden of hepatitis C-related infections is set out in 'Hepatitis C in the UK 2011', a report produced by the HPA to coincide with World Hepatitis Day on 28th July.
 

Due to the high cost of liver transplants and the limited availability of organs, the projected burden on the NHS is expected to be high. The report states how a further 11,630 people in England are predicted to be living with cirrhosis by 2020 as a result of hepatitis C. Many of these cases will be difficult to treat and go on to develop end-stage liver disease. Registrations for liver transplants among people with hepatitis C-related liver disease have increased by 95 per cent over the past decade.
 

Dr Terry Matthews, Consultant in Communicable Disease Control at North Yorkshire and the Humber Health Protection Unit, said: "Many people are unaware that they are infected with the virus because they have no symptoms at all. If people think they have been exposed to the virus, it is vital that they contact their GP or GUM clinic for a test. The earlier they are diagnosed the better, as they will have a greater chance of successfully treating their infection."
 

The HPA has set out public health recommendations to help reduce the future burden on the NHS, to assist health partners in their continued efforts to work with statutory bodies to sustain and enhance prevention services that minimise ongoing transmission of hepatitis C. These groups will need to continue to work collaboratively with the voluntary sector to support campaigns to raise awareness and increase levels of diagnosis and healthcare providers should continue to develop integrated pathways of care that improve access to treatment, particularly for those groups that are hard to reach.
 

Cathie Gillies, Project Manager for Hepatitis C at HPA Yorkshire and the Humber, added: "Great efforts are being made by a range of organisations working together in Yorkshire and the Humber to address the health burden of hepatitis C. This includes the Health Protection Agency, NHS Yorkshire and Humber, all 14 Primary Care Trusts, hospital trusts, the National Treatment Agency, Drug Action Teams, drug services and their service users. Our work includes producing specialist information and guidance for health professionals, and today a number of partners are also holding awareness events across the region, in a bid to encourage those most at risk to be aware of hepatitis C.  Currently, there is no vaccine to protect against the disease but simple measures such as using sterile injecting equipment and not sharing personal items like toothbrushes and razors will minimise your chances of being exposed to the virus. 
 

"Awareness campaigns have helped to increase the numbers of people coming forward to get tested, however they need to be sustained and enhanced to get more people tested and treated and relieve this potential future burden on the healthcare service."
 

Those most at risk of acquiring infection are injecting drug users. Of those drug users tested in the region, around half (45.7 per cent) tested positive for the HCV antibody in 2010. Estimates in England suggest that 44 per cent of prevalent infections are in current injecting drug users; a further 43 per cent of infections are in those who no longer inject drugs but did so in the past. Injecting drugs with unsterile injecting equipment can put an individual at risk of infection, even if they injected only once or twice in the past. Others at risk of infection include those who have received blood transfusions before September 1991 or blood products before 1986 in the UK. People who originate from countries where hepatitis C is endemic, like South Asia, are also at risk. In these countries infection can arise following medical or dental treatment with unsterile equipment.
 

ENDS
Notes to editors

• The Health Protection Agency's hepatitis C annual report is available at http://www.hpa.org.uk/web/HPAweb&Page&HPAwebAutoListNameDesc/Page/1249920576091
• More info can be found on the HPA website: http://www.hpa.org.uk/Topics/InfectiousDiseases/InfectionsAZ/HepatitisC/ Or the NHS Choices hepatitis C website http://www.nhs.uk/hepatitisc/Pages/default.aspx
• World Hepatitis Day (site of the World Hepatitis Alliance)
  http://www.worldhepatitisalliance.org/default.aspx
• The Hepatitis Trust, a charity which provides information and support on hepatitis C.
  http://www.heptrust.org.uk and the British Liver Trust http://www.britishlivertrust.org.uk/home.aspx
• Hepatitis is the swelling or inflammation of the liver. The most common causes of hepatitis are viral infections, such as hepatitis C. Some of the other main causes of the liver disease include alcohol and obesity.
• Less common ways to become infected with hepatitis C include:
  o from infected mother to baby before or during birth
  o having medical and dental treatment abroad, where unsterile equipment may have been used
  o tattooing or body piercing where unsterile equipment may have been used
  o sharing razors or toothbrushes that may have been contaminated with blood from someone who is infected
  o unsafe sex
• The World Health Organization estimates that 170 million people worldwide are infected with hepatitis C. More people are affected worldwide by hepatitis than HIV (which affects an estimated 33 million people worldwide) but in many cases the infection goes undiagnosed and untreated.
• Initiatives to help fight the infection have included the 'Get tested. Get treated' campaign  which was launched to target former injecting drug users together with a campaign targeting the South Asian community, who are at increased risk of infection and who may have acquired their infections via other routes. Other work on a national level to tackle hepatitis C and other causes of liver disease has included creating the new position of National Clinical Director, who will lead on the development of a national liver strategy.

Last reviewed: 8 November 2011