Posted: 5-Feb-2007 << BACK
by Iain Lundy - Evening Times Online
Cases of the deadly virus hepatitis C - dubbed the "hidden killer" - have soared in Scotland, with Glasgow's health board area the worst affected.
Official figures reveal that, last September, 19,100 people were officially diagnosed with the virus - 8985 of them in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde NHS Board area. The Scottish figure is up 3000 in less than three years but experts say the true picture is much worse.
Hepatitis C is notoriously difficult to diagnose and it is estimated up to 60,000 people in Scotland may be suffering from it. Of those diagnosed, 41% live in the Glasgow and Clyde area, against 14% in Edinburgh and Lothian.
The virus is most commonly associated with drug taking and the figures have sparked calls for needles to be given free to drug addicts. It can lie undetected for decades before being diagnosed and it is potentially fatal for up to 30% of sufferers who develop the disease in its chronic form.
Today's report, by Health Protection Scotland, reveals at least 2,578 people in Scotland have died from the illness. Glenn Codere, of Health Protection Scotland, said: "There are a number of cases out there undiagnosed. People that have it can seem to be perfectly healthy for a long time.
"What we are finding is we are picking up more cases of hepatitis C as the public become more and more aware of it." The report shows that, of the 19,100 officially diagnosed with the virus, 59% (11,200) were aged 30 to 44 while 17% (3326) were 15 to 29.
Haemophiliacs who have contracted the virus through contaminated NHS blood products have for years been calling for a public inquiry.
Last year, the Scottish Executive launched a 4 million plan in an attempt to curb the spread of the illness. Clare Morris, coordinator of the Glasgow-based hepatitis C charity C-Level, said she was not sure if the initiative could work. She called for needles to be made freely available to addicts.
