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Health campaign raises awareness of hepatitis C

13/ 2/2008

A HEALTH campaign is hoping to raise awareness of hepatitis C in the Asian community at the Zee Carnival this weekend.

Although hepatitis C can affect anyone from any background, there is emerging evidence that the prevalence within the South Asian community in this country may be higher than in the general population.

Hepatitis C is a blood-borne virus, so people visiting South Asia could be at risk by getting medical and dental treatment, sharing ear and nose piercing equipment, having blood transfusions or even razors which may not have been sterilised.

Campaigners, including Shahnaz Ahmad, a hepatitis C sufferer who caught the virus from a blood transfusion in Pakistan, will be manning a stand at the Zee Carnival being held at London's Olympia Hall and hopes to educate people on the risks of the disease.

Said Shahnaz, who was diagnosed with hepatitis C in 1994: "I was unwell with colitis (ulcer of the large bowel) in 1994 had been in and out of hospital for four years, when blood tests showed I had hepatitis C. I hadn’t had any symptoms relevant to hep C but I wasn’t hugely shocked because I immediately realised I could have contracted the virus via a blood transfusion while in Pakistan.

"No-one I knew had heard of hepatitis C. Once I learned more we decided that members of my family would be tested. There is ignorance among certain people who fear transmission through shared plates and touching, but education overcomes this.

"I believe members of my community do sometimes hide the fact they have hep C because they fear being judged by others. They would prefer to let their own health suffer than a negative light be cast on themselves and their loved ones."

She added: "I cleared the virus through treatment in 2000. I was six months into a year of treatment when I became anaemic and had to come off it, but amazingly I had already cleared the virus – I was very lucky."

Launched in December 2004, the Department of Health’s hepatitis C awareness campaign ‘FaCe It’ aims to raise awareness of the virus and its prevention, diagnosis and treatment, while tackling the stigma, which is often attached to it.

It is estimated that around 200,000 people in England have hepatitis C and of this number, the majority is probably unaware of their condition since many experience no symptoms for a number of years. If undetected, hepatitis C can develop into cirrhosis or even liver cancer, and in a small proportion of cases, can be fatal.

Further information on hepatitis C is available on the campaign website, which can be found at www.hepc.nhs.uk

What is hepatitis C?

Hepatitis C is a virus that can seriously damage the liver and affect its ability to function correctly. It is mainly spread through contact with the blood of a person who is infected. Less commonly it can also be passed on via other body fluids.

You cannot catch it through everyday contact such as holding hands, hugging, kissing or through sharing toilets, crockery or kitchen utensils.