Posted: 14-Feb-2007 << BACK
PRESS RELEASE 14th February 2007
With newly released figures revealing that the Department of Healths public hepatitis C awareness campaign is failing, Dame Anita Roddick speaking for the first time on her experience of the disease, has accused the Government of not doing enough.
Dame Anita said:
There are hundreds of thousands of people out there with undiagnosed hepatitis C and we are failing to reach them in anything like sufficient numbers. We need a major campaign to alert them because they are at serious risk of developing irreversible and potentially fatal liver disease.
The latest quarterly Health Protection Agency figures (July to September 2006) show the number of new hepatitis C diagnoses have almost halved to just 1,128 from 2,005 in the previous quarter (April to June 2006) despite the on-going Department of Health FaCe It! awareness campaign. Dame Anita said;
I am astounded by these figures. Why isnt more being done? Its the Government that needs to FaCe It! - face the facts that people are dying needlessly. The Government are spending 40 million telling people to switch their TVs to digital, and a fraction of that ensuring that those at risk from hepatitis C are diagnosed in time!
Citing her own experience publicly for the very first time, Dame Anita added:
I was diagnosed with hepatitis C three years ago. I contracted it from a contaminated blood transfusion after the birth of my daughter 30 years ago. Because I was undiagnosed for so long, I now have liver cirrhosis and need to be regularly tested for tumours. Hepatitis C can be contracted in so many ways, yet so few people seem to be aware that they are at risk.
I urge anyone who thinks they could have come into contact with infected blood to get tested and, in particular, anyone who had a blood transfusion before blood screening started in 1991. Please, please take this seriously.
As part of her commitment to making a difference for people with hepatitis C, Dame Anita has become a patron of The Hepatitis C Trust, the national UK hepatitis C charity. Charles Gore, the Chief Executive, said:
We are absolutely delighted that someone so dynamic and with such a history of fighting passionately for important causes has agreed to support us. Like many people with hepatitis C, Anita is taking control of her health and speaking out about the urgent action needed to deal with this immediate public health challenge. Anita is exactly the person we need to catapult hepatitis C into the national consciousness and in doing so, we hope will help to save thousands of lives.
For more information on hepatitis C, visit www.hepctrust.org.uk or call The Hepatitis C Trust helpline 0870 200 1 200.
Notes to editors
Hepatitis C is a blood borne virus that primarily attacks the liver. It can lead to liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, cancer and liver failure. In some cases a liver transplant is the only option.
The Hepatitis C Trust estimates that up to 500,000 people in the UK have chronic hepatitis C. Only 1 in 10 of those has been diagnosed. The remaining 9 out of 10 are at risk of developing serious liver disease and unknowingly infecting others. There is no vaccine.
Treatment is available that is successful in 50% of cases. The sooner you have treatment, the more likely it is to be effective. Alcohol significantly accelerates the damage caused by hepatitis C. Lifestyle changes can significantly slow disease progression.
There is no set symptom pattern. People can have no symptoms or symptoms can be vague and vary in severity. They include: fatigue, nausea, digestion problems, pain in the liver area, flu-like symptoms, depression, difficulty concentrating and joint and/or muscle pain
Contacts:
For more information please contact The Hepatitis C Trust
Charles Gore, Chief Executive: 020 7089 6220 / 07931541743
Raquel Jose, Media Co-ordinator: 020 7089 6220
Anitas full story can be found on www.anitaroddick.com and on www.hepctrust.org.uk
