UK - GPs Sign Up To Combat 'Silent Killer' Disease
Last updated:23May2008
Doctors in Gloucestershire have joined a global campaign to raise awareness of hepatitis.GPs at Yorkleigh Surgery in Cheltenham, Barnwood Medical Practice in Gloucester and Lechlade Medical Centre are handing out questionnaires this week to patients to see if they are at risk from hepatitis C.
It is estimated that there are up to 460,000 people living with hepatitis C in England, but fewer than 70,000 have been diagnosed.
According to practitioners it is a 'silent killer' as people can live with it undiagnosed and without symptoms for many years.
Charles Gore, chief executive of the Hepatitis C Trust, said: "I fully support and applaud these GPs who are among the first in the country to take a pro-active approach to hepatitis C."GPs are at the front line and their involvement is crucial in helping people to understand this often-ignored disease."
