Over 70,000 Aussies live with this silent disease. Are you one of them?
- Replies 10
The health of our nation is a matter of paramount importance.
Yet, tens of thousands of Australians are unaware that they are already battling a silent disease.
It's a critical situation everyone should be alert about.
Health experts shared a report showing startling statistics: approximately 70,000 Australians have been living with Hepatitis C—a preventable yet potentially life-threatening disease.
Hepatitis C is a bloodborne virus that primarily attacks the liver.
When untreated, Hepatitis C could lead to severe health complications, including cirrhosis (scar damage), organ failure, and cancer.
The virus commonly spreads through blood-to-blood contact, often through shared injecting equipment.
In 2016, the medical community heralded the introduction of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) as a 'game changer' in containing the virus.
These medications boasted a 97 per cent efficacy rate in curing Hepatitis C.
This led to Australia's ambitious declaration to be one of the first countries to eliminate the disease by 2030.
Almost a decade after the declaration, roughly 100,000 Australians have been cured of Hepatitis C.
However, experts stated that eradicating Hepatitis C within the next six years could be a long shot.
The number of people seeking Hepatitis C treatment has significantly declined in recent years.
From a peak of 33,202 people treated in 2016, the figure plummeted to just 5,426 last year.
Professor Margaret Hellard from the Burnet Institute recently spoke to ABC's 7:30 am program about this concern.
Apart from the low treatment rate, 13,222 new Hepatitis C cases were detected last year.
'If treatment uptake doesn't increase, we're going to struggle to meet our elimination targets,' Professor Hellard warned.
'We know we need to get enough people treated so that there's hardly anybody left with Hepatitis C, and that means the number of new infections falls because you don't get transmission.’
One of the significant barriers to Hepatitis C treatment was the stigma associated with injecting drugs.
People with Hepatitis C often face persistent discrimination due to its illegal nature.
This could manifest as withholding treatment, diagnostic overshadowing, rude behaviour, and excessive infection control measures, such as double-gloving.
These could lead some individuals to avoid seeking medical care.
Another contributing factor to the disease's persistence is the high rate of Hepatitis C in prisons.
Australian prisons do not have ample needle and syringe exchange programs—a 'glaring omission' according to academics from La Trobe University.
Without access to sterile equipment, the risk of transmission could increase.
Those who were already cured of Hepatitis C may have reinfection.
'I understand that in prisons, you could argue about, "What are drugs doing in prisons?"' Prof Hellard shared.
'We know that drugs are in prison. We know that injecting occurs in prisons, so why not provide appropriate harm reduction and care for people?'
Australia needs to step up their patient care, especially with the rise of Hepatitis C cases nationwide.
The path to eliminating Hepatitis C requires awareness, destigmatisation, and proactive healthcare measures.
Have you or someone you know been affected by Hepatitis C? What are your thoughts about the growing number of cases? Share your thoughts and opinions with us in the comments below.
Yet, tens of thousands of Australians are unaware that they are already battling a silent disease.
It's a critical situation everyone should be alert about.
Health experts shared a report showing startling statistics: approximately 70,000 Australians have been living with Hepatitis C—a preventable yet potentially life-threatening disease.
Hepatitis C is a bloodborne virus that primarily attacks the liver.
When untreated, Hepatitis C could lead to severe health complications, including cirrhosis (scar damage), organ failure, and cancer.
Hepatitis C is mainly transmitted through blood contact, in the form of compromised healthcare facility materials. Image Credit: Pexels/Polina Tankilevitch
The virus commonly spreads through blood-to-blood contact, often through shared injecting equipment.
In 2016, the medical community heralded the introduction of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) as a 'game changer' in containing the virus.
These medications boasted a 97 per cent efficacy rate in curing Hepatitis C.
This led to Australia's ambitious declaration to be one of the first countries to eliminate the disease by 2030.
Almost a decade after the declaration, roughly 100,000 Australians have been cured of Hepatitis C.
However, experts stated that eradicating Hepatitis C within the next six years could be a long shot.
The number of people seeking Hepatitis C treatment has significantly declined in recent years.
From a peak of 33,202 people treated in 2016, the figure plummeted to just 5,426 last year.
Professor Margaret Hellard from the Burnet Institute recently spoke to ABC's 7:30 am program about this concern.
Apart from the low treatment rate, 13,222 new Hepatitis C cases were detected last year.
'If treatment uptake doesn't increase, we're going to struggle to meet our elimination targets,' Professor Hellard warned.
'We know we need to get enough people treated so that there's hardly anybody left with Hepatitis C, and that means the number of new infections falls because you don't get transmission.’
One of the significant barriers to Hepatitis C treatment was the stigma associated with injecting drugs.
People with Hepatitis C often face persistent discrimination due to its illegal nature.
This could manifest as withholding treatment, diagnostic overshadowing, rude behaviour, and excessive infection control measures, such as double-gloving.
These could lead some individuals to avoid seeking medical care.
Another contributing factor to the disease's persistence is the high rate of Hepatitis C in prisons.
Australian prisons do not have ample needle and syringe exchange programs—a 'glaring omission' according to academics from La Trobe University.
Without access to sterile equipment, the risk of transmission could increase.
Those who were already cured of Hepatitis C may have reinfection.
'I understand that in prisons, you could argue about, "What are drugs doing in prisons?"' Prof Hellard shared.
'We know that drugs are in prison. We know that injecting occurs in prisons, so why not provide appropriate harm reduction and care for people?'
Australia needs to step up their patient care, especially with the rise of Hepatitis C cases nationwide.
The path to eliminating Hepatitis C requires awareness, destigmatisation, and proactive healthcare measures.
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Thank you she’ll be right mate as they say at least I can get out of bed in the morning these days, lots worse off than me. And I have a cat.
