Posted: 17-Aug-2006 << BACK
Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard By Sarah Jones 17th August
It was 35 years before David Singerman realised he had contracted hepatitis C.The maths professor at Southampton University was diagnosed in 2000 after his GP told him he was looking peaky' and sent him for a blood test.
It revealed that he had the blood borne virus which is thought to affect around 200,000 people in the UK.
Like David, the vast majority of people infected with hepatitis C do not know that they have got it. They often show no symptoms initially, but long-term effects can include liver damage and cancer.
Now the grandfather-of-one from Highfield is hoping to encourage more people to get tested. He will unveil a unique display of large-scale photographic portraits of people with hepatitis C at the Bargate today.
The display, featuring his portrait, forms part of the Department of Health's FaCe It hepatitis C awareness campaign which will stay in the city for two days.
"I think it is important to publicise this disease because it is very, very common," said David. "There are all sorts of ways people can pick it up. Once you know you have got it, you can start to do things to deal with it. If you let it go for a long time you can become very seriously ill."
The virus is transmitted by infected body fluids, and needle sharers are at particular risk.
Looking back, 60-year-old David believes he caught the virus through a blood transfusion in 1965 after he was hit by a car and broke his leg badly. He has never used drugs and has no tattoos or piercings - which are also recognised routes of contracting it.
"The virus was only discovered in 1989 so anybody who had a blood transfusion before then should get themselves tested for hepatitis C," he added.
There is currently no vaccine against hepatitis C so prevention of new infections is particularly important. Lifestyle changes, in particular decreasing alcohol intake, can delay the onset of liver disease. There are increasingly effective antiviral drug treatments available that have been approved by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE).
David has had one course of treatment which was unsuccessful but his condition has been stable for the last few years.
