Government urged to act on 'tidal wave' of hepatitis

Tuesday, 22 March 2005 12:00 AM

A committee of MPs has urged the Government to take rapid action to stem the "tidal wave" of hepatitis C in the UK.

A report from the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Hepatology said the Government was not doing enough to tackle the spread of the disease.

It dismissed an action plan launched last year by the Chief Medical Officer for England, Sir Liam Donaldson, for setting no targets, describing it as "inadequate".

The committee said the awareness campaign had been very low key and called for greater urgency in dealing with infection rates.

Hepatitis C is a blood-borne virus thought to affect about 500,000 people in the UK and can lie dormant for more than 20 years before symptoms develop. It is believed that as many as nine out of ten people infected are not aware they are living with it.

It is usually passed on by intravenous drug use, but can also be spread through tattooing, body piercing, acupuncture or through blood transfusions carried out before screening began. Up to half of those who are infected will develop severe liver disease.

David Amess, chairman of the APPG, said: "The Government should review as a matter of urgency both current service provision and plan for the inevitable increased burdens."

A Department of Health spokeswoman insisted: "We are committed to raising the importance of hepatitis C as a public health issue.

"Our hepatitis C action plan will help ensure that people who are infected with the disease are referred for specialist assessment and treatment and also take precautionary measures so that their infection isn't passed on to others."

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