For World Hepatitis Day 2024, Health ministers from the governments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have affirmed their support for the goal of eliminating hepatitis C as a major public health concern in their nations, as part of the UK-wide effort to eliminate hepatitis C by 2030.
Find out more about how you can get involved in our World Hepatitis Day campaigns here.
Jenni Minto MSP, the Scottish Government Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health, said:
The Scottish Government remains committed to working towards hepatitis C elimination, and I am proud to say that we have made significant progress over the last decade.
By August 2023, 86% of individuals diagnosed with chronic hepatitis C infection had been initiated on HCV treatment, with the vast majority clearing their infection. Scotland saw over 70% reduction in hepatitis C-related mortality and severe disease, between 2015 and 2022.
Our Action Plan, published last year, recommits us to continue to strive for the elimination of hepatitis C as a public health threat by March 2025. This is our goal and one that is more ambitious than the WHO’s global target of 2030. However, with the continued hard work from the NHS Boards we will continue to make significant progress particularly in the testing and treatment of people at risk of hepatitis C.
As we push towards our elimination target in early 2025, we continue to work closely with NHS Boards to understand successes such as those seen in NHS Tayside, as well as any challenges or barriers they may be experiencing to achieving their targets.
Hepatitis C can often go unnoticed due to lack of symptoms, therefore testing continues to play a crucial role in progress towards our goal. This is why we have provided £800,000 funding to a range of projects including opt-out emergency department testing pilots for HIV and hepatitis C, as well as work to identify the optimal health care settings to provide testing for those at high risk of acquiring blood borne viruses.
Interventions such as these will help reach populations we know are disproportionately affected by the virus, particularly marginalised people and communities.
Finally, I urge everyone, to get tested. The Hepatitis C Trust’s website has information about risk factors, how to get tested and where to get treatment and support.
Mike Nesbitt, the Northern Ireland Minister of Health, reiterated Northern Ireland’s goal to eliminate hepatitis C by 2025. Minister Nesbitt said World Hepatitis Day was an opportunity to recognise the progress made in tackling the virus but also the need for further work:
We continue to work towards our goal to eliminate the virus, by combining effective treatment and support with efforts to find people still living with the virus who may not yet be in contact with health services.
“Hepatitis C is a serious condition that can lead to severe liver damage, sometimes years after the initial infection. However, treatments for the disease have improved rapidly in recent years, saving lives.
Northern Ireland’s Elimination Plan aims to ensure that hepatitis C is effectively eliminated by including an evidence-based approach to harm reduction services to prevent new cases from arising.
Eluned Morgan MS, the new Leader of the Welsh Labour Party and current Cabinet Secretary for Health, Social Care and Welsh Language, said:
As we prepare to mark World Hepatitis Day 2024 on Sunday (28 July), I am providing an update about our commitment to and progress towards eliminating hepatitis B and C as a public health threat in Wales.
Hepatitis B and C are viruses in the blood, which can be transmitted between people and, for some people, can cause serious liver damage and lead to complete liver failure. Unfortunately, we still see deaths in Wales each year due to these viruses, although this number has fallen and is now very small.
These viruses are challenging as they will typically not cause any symptoms until they have been in the body for many years. By the time symptoms start to show it’s because the liver has stopped working properly and considerable damage has already been done.
Hepatitis B is a common infection worldwide. It is usually spread from infected pregnant women to their babies, or from child-to-child contact. It can also be spread through unprotected sex and by sharing needles to inject drugs. An unknown number of people in the UK became infected as a result of the Infected Blood scandal.
Routine screening for hepatitis B has been part of the antenatal screening programme since the early 2000s. In 2017, hepatitis B vaccination became part of the routine childhood vaccination programme and uptake rates in Wales are currently 94.5%. These interventions mean hepatitis B in Wales is now rare in children, but it remains an issue among unvaccinated adults.
Hepatitis C is also a common infection worldwide and although Wales is a low prevalence country, it is currently estimated there are more than 4,000 people living in Wales who have hepatitis C but don’t know
It is usually spread through blood-to-blood contact with an infected person; in Wales it is most commonly spread through sharing needles used to inject drugs. Thousands of people became infected as a result of the Infected Blood scandal and it is also associated with poor healthcare practices and unsafe medical injections outside the NHS.
Hepatitis C can be treated with very effective antiviral medicines, but there’s currently no vaccine available.
We have continued to make progress towards elimination since my written statement in February 2023:
- All health boards and substance misuse Area Planning Boards have detailed joint local elimination plans, which set out a wide range of actions to be undertaken at a local level.
- All health boards have identified an executive lead and have local multi-agency steering groups to oversee progress.
- Central funding has been ringfenced for key national co-ordination posts until the end of this Senedd term.
- We have a free and confidential home testing service.
As a result, we have seen:
- Testing rates increase again in 2023 and are now exceeding pre-pandemic levels.
- Notable successes in key settings, such as HMP Berwyn announcing elimination within the prison.
- The highest number of people starting treatment for hepatitis C since the pandemic.
Our progress towards elimination is being closely monitored. Public Health Wales has today published its annual report looking at trends in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of blood borne viruses in Wales. This includes a summary of progress against the World Health Organisation’s elimination indicators.
I would like to put on record my thanks for all the hard work across Wales to deliver this progress. Over the coming year, services will need to focus their efforts to improve testing levels across a range of services if we are to achieve the World Health Organisation’s 2030 elimination targets.
I strongly urge anyone who believes they may be at risk to get tested, so they can get the treatment they need. You can speak to a healthcare professional about getting tested or simply use the free and confidential home testing service that’s available in Wales.
I will continue to provide regular updates on our efforts to eliminate hepatitis B and C as a public health threat in Wales.
This statement is being issued during recess in order to keep members informed. Should members wish me to make a further statement or to answer questions on this when the Senedd returns I would be happy to do so.
Andrew Gwynne MP, UK Minister for Public Health and Prevention, posted to highlight the NHS England Hepatitis C Elimination Programme and at-home testing service, saying:
62,600 people are currently living with undiagnosed #HepC in England.
We are committed to eliminating Hepatitis C.
From screening to NHS England’s at-home testing service we’ve made strides in combatting this virus which can go undetected for years.