Health workers will focus on raising awareness of hepatitis among people receiving drug treatment in the district on World Hepatitis Day.
The annual event is an opportunity for substance misuse services to highlight the importance of prevention, testing and treatment for hepatitis.
Hepatitis C is a virus that is carried in the blood and can cause serious damage to the liver, including cancer and cirrhosis.
It is mainly spread through contact with the blood of an infected person, especially through sharing drug paraphernalia such as needles, spoons, water and pipes. On average, up to 20 per cent of people with a drug problem in the UK will have hepatitis C.
Throughout Bradford, substance misuse services are displaying posters and giving out leaflets about hepatitis C and offering testing. At some services vaccinations for hepatitis B are also being offered.
Tomorrow, nurses from the physical health team and drugs workers at Bradford and Airedale Community Health Services (BACHS) will be at Fountains Hall substance misuse service doing on-site screening for all blood borne viruses and giving health advice to service users. Ripple Drug Service is also having a display to raise awareness among its service users.
In Keighley, Project 6 is holding an open day at the Keighley Healthy Living Centre from 2pm to 4pm, with information about the virus and details of a support group.
Tina Maddocks, team leader for the physical health nursing team, said it is important to get tested for a number of reasons.
“If you do have hepatitis C you can get treated,” she said. “Effective treatment is available and can successfully clear the virus, on average, in more than half of people treated. And with some types of the virus success rates are about 80 per cent.
“You can also find out how to prevent serious damage to your liver by making a few lifestyle changes and how to avoid passing it to other people. People who are infected often have no symptoms for many years, so it’s important to get tested.”
Anyone concerned about hepatitis should contact their GP.
Source:Telegraph and Argus
