20 May 2010 By SUE WATSON - Sunderland Echo
Health chiefs believe a greater awareness of hepatitis C is behind a 48 per cent increase in the number of cases diagnosed in the North East. Latest figures, released to mark World Hepatitis Day, show there were 241 people in the region reported as having the condition in 2009, compared to 163 in 2008.
A spokeswoman for the Health Protection Agency (HPA), which released the data, said the growing number of cases indicates increased public awareness, with more people coming forward to get tested.
Healthcare campaigns by the Department of Health, the NHS and the voluntary sectors are all likely to have contributed to this increase in awareness over recent years, the HPA said.
Dr Deb Wilson, hepatitis lead for the HPA in the North East, said: "Liver disease from hepatitis C is largely preventable and yet it continues to rise.
"The majority of hepatitis C infections can be treated successfully or prevented from occurring in the first place, yet new infections are continuing to occur and many existing infections remain undiagnosed.
"If people think they may have been exposed to the virus, they should contact their GP and request a test."
The doctor said if more people are tested and treated early on, it could prevent suffering from liver damage in the future.
Hepatitis is a condition characterised by inflammation of the liver and hepatitis C is a blood-borne virus which, if left untreated, can eventually result in chronic liver disease, liver failure or death.
Many individuals are unaware they have become infected with the virus because signs and symptoms are rare in the early years of infection.
Among the high-profile figures diagnosed with hepatitis C are Baywatch star Pamela Anderson and The Rolling Stone's Keith Richards
