Shelley Crawford, is hoping people will get tested for hepatitis C as World Hepatitis Day approaches (Michael Joel-Hansen/paNOW Staff)

By Michael Joel-Hansen

World Hepatitis Day 2019

Local health professionals promote hepatitis testing

Jul 25, 2019 | 3:07 PM

This Sunday will mark World Hepatitis Day all over the world. This year’s theme is Find the Missing Millions.

In Prince Albert health-care providers are hoping to use the day to promote people getting themselves tested for hepatitis C. Shelley Crawford, a hepatitis C nurse clinician at Access Place, said it is believed there are a large number of people living with the disease.

“It’s estimated that 250,000 people are living with hepatitis C and up to 40 per cent of those people are unaware of their diagnoses,” she said.

Hepatitis C is a virus which is passed along via blood to blood contact. If left untreated the disease can seriously damage the liver and can lead to cirrhosis and cancer.

Generally people who use intravenous drugs, reuse tattooing and piercing equipment along with reusing one use medical equipment have a higher risk of contracting the disease. Those who had blood transfusions before 1991 should also consider getting themselves tested. Even people who don’t have any of these risk factors are encouraged to get tested.

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Crawford said in her experience many people are hesitant about getting tested due to the stigma which has generally been associated with the virus.

“Patients that might have been at risk many, many years ago, they find that it’s uncomfortable to bring those things forward with their health care professional,” she said.

Along with people who have traditional risk factors, Crawford said they are hoping to get people who born between 1945 and 1975 to consider getting themselves tested for hepatitis C. Crawford explained people of this generation may have not seen a need to get tested and if they are living with the disease they have been doing so for a long period of time.

Currently the treatment options for the virus are good as medications have a cure rate of well over 90 per cent. Crawford added with medications and testing there is the opportunity for a major breakthrough in combatting the virus.

“It is possible to eliminate hepatitis C as a public health burden,” she said.

Shelley Crawford holds up a display which shows how hepatitis C used to be treated (Michael Joel-Hansen/paNOW Staff)

MichaelJoel.Hansen@jpbg.ca

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