Experts caution that more than 70,000 Britons may be unaware that they have the deadly form of hepatitis C. Do you have the infection?
However, a Preventx survey found that two thirds of British people are unaware of the symptoms to look out for, how to treat the killer virus, or how it spreads.
More British people should get screened for the disease using NHS England’s at-home testing program, according to experts at the charity and healthcare organization the Hepatitis C Trust.
According to Dr. John White of Preventx, “getting tested is even more important given the low level of awareness around the risk factors and symptoms of hepatitis C, as demonstrated by our survey.”
Testing is the only method to be certain you don’t have hepatitis C because there are numerous ways to get it, including through tattoos and toothbrushes.
An estimated 70,000 individuals in England are infected with the virus but are unaware of it. To identify these unidentified hepatitis C cases, we need to encourage more people to get tested.
The UK Health Security Agency estimates that in 2022, 70,649 Britons had been diagnosed with hepatitis C.
This virus has the ability to infect the liver and, over time, cause damage that is potentially fatal.
Since the disease does not show symptoms until the organ has suffered significant damage, many people may be infected without even being aware of it.
The NHS lists flu-like symptoms, constant fatigue, appetite loss, stomach pain, and nausea as possible warning signs.
Blood-to-blood contact, which can happen from sharing toothbrushes or razors, sharing needles for drugs, and—rarely—unprotected sex, is how the virus is transmitted.
In order to spread awareness of the virus and encourage more people to get tested, Bristol resident Keith Haway, 48, joined the Hepatitis C Trust in 2022 after completing his treatment in 2019.
“It was shocking to learn that I had hepatitis C,” he remarked.
“Neither my friends nor I had any knowledge of it.” I’m fortunate that it was discovered at that time.
“If someone is at risk, it is crucial that they get tested.
“I believe that occasionally people assume