Posted: 2-Oct-2006 << BACK
Lily Allen was only joking when she said she'd celebrate 'Smile' going to Number One with a line of coke, but that didn't stop the shock-horror tabloid stories. Still, whether celebrating chart success, boosting your ego or simply staying awake all night and day, what really matters is that people dont share the 50 notes, metal straws or whatever else they use to snort the stuff.
Why? Because anything that might bring you into contact with someone elses blood, whether its toothbrushes or razors, is a potential source of hepatitis C. Just ask Pamela Anderson, whose sharing of needles when she and Tommy Lee got their wedding ring tattoos led to her hep C infection.
This weekend clubs across London are helping to promote the Hepatitis C Trusts What Not to Share campaign, so guest listers can expect being asked to donate to the campaign, which is only fair and proper. Theyve chosen to highlight the club and music industry because everyone knows that the meeja are rampant user-abusers. The Hepatitis C Trust (conservatively) estimate that there are 500,000 people in the UK who have the infection, yet more than 80 per cent of them are unaware of it. The scary bit is that it could be eating away at your liver right now, so if you may have been exposed to it (for any reason!), get a simple blood test done at your doctor or local GUM clinic.
Unless something is done to change the current ignorance about hepatitis C, it ill kill tens of thousands of people in the UK, reports the Hep C Trust. The earlier that the disease is detected, the more likely that the treatment will work. So dont be scared, be aware. Look out for info at clubs like Fabric, Turnmills and The End or check out www.whatnottoshare. com, because half-a-million cases are more than enough already. Now youknow why Lilys wearing a T-shirt with a 50 tube on it. The wig is just for fun. Dave Swindells (Thanks to Time Out for permission to reproduce this article)
