Posted: 30-Sep-2005 << BACK
SHAMEFUL NEW REPORT EXPOSES UK AS worst MAJOR EUROPEAN countrY at dealing with deadly hepatitis C virus
Growing hepatitis C crisis to cost NHS 1.8 billion over next ten years
A shocking new report published today, The UK vs. Europe: Losing the Fight against Hepatitis C, confirms that the UK is facing a hepatitis C time bomb. This is largely due to failure to identify and treat a sufficient number of people infected with the disease.1 Commissioned by The Hepatitis C Trust, the report compared France, Germany, Italy and Spain to the UK. The study demonstrates that we are at the bottom of each league table in every aspect of dealing with the virus.1
In the UK just 1-2% people infected with the disease receive NICE-approved treatments2 that could prevent liver cirrhosis and cancer. Patients in France are 6-12 times more likely to gain effective treatment.1 As a consequence, the prevalence of chronic liver disease is falling in France, yet rates in the UK are set to soar, costing the NHS up to 8 billion within 30 years.2 The Hepatitis C Trust is calling for the government to take urgent action to avert a human tragedy of epidemic proportions and a financial crisis that could cripple the NHS.
Charles Gore, Chief Executive of The Hepatitis C Trust says: The Government needs to make hepatitis C a priority. We have a dreadfully poor track record at diagnosing the disease. Over 400,000 people in the UK with the virus are completely unaware they have been infected. As a consequence they are not in a position to make lifestyle decisions that could reduce liver damage and may inadvertently be putting others at risk of infection.
The report exposes the UK Governments failure to set adequate targets to screen for hepatitis C, meaning that only one in seven infected people has been tested for the disease.4,5 As a result patients are only being identified when they have progressed to late stage liver disease, when one of the main options is a liver transplant. There is currently an average of 750 livers available for transplantation each year. Untreated hepatitis C is set to cost the NHS 156 million in 2006 alone.2
Professor Rosenberg, University of Southampton, lead author of the report warns: If we continue to do nothing about hepatitis C then between 100,000 and 300,000 people will have to endure preventable liver disease. If we catch it in time, the virus can be treated with drugs that cure 40-80% of those infected. We have no time to lose. We need to learn what countries such as France have done and implement similar strategies to successfully manage the disease.
References:
1. The Hepatitis C Trust and the University of Southampton. The UK vs. Europe: Losing the Fight Against Hepatitis C, 29 September 2005.
2. G Lewis, J Green, K Patel. The Burden of Chronic Hepatitis C (CHC) from the Perspective of the UK National Health Service (NHS), EASL 2004
3. Parkes J. Epidemiology of Hepatitis C infection. Presentation at EASL, April 2005.
4. Health Protection Agency. Hepatitis C laboratory reports: England and Wales, 1992-2004. http://www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/hepatitis_c/data_sex.htm (last accessed 15 September 2005).
Scottish Executive. Hepatitis C: essential information for professionals. http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2002/07/15074/8613 (last accessed 15 September 2005)
Attachment: The UK vs. Europe.pdf
