From: CDCNPIN News
A hepatitis C awareness campaign funded by the Greater Manchester
Primary Care Trusts has won praise from the Health Protection
Agency (HPA). Run in partnership with Rock Radio, the outreach
entitled “What Did You Do Back in the
Day?†encourages people to consider whether their past
actions may have put them at risk of hepatitis C virus infection.
It is credited with a 200 percent increase in the number of
telephone and online inquiries from persons seeking HCV testing.
From April to December 2009, local health workers performed 140
finger-stick blood tests for the virus. HPA figures show the North
West region with the largest number of newly reported hepatitis C
cases in the United Kingdom, 1,679. An estimated 185,000 UK
residents have hepatitis C. Special events in February and...
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UNITED STATES: Report: Tackle Overlooked Threat of Hepatitis B, C
A new Institute of Medicine (IOM) report released Monday calls for
a major public health push against hepatitis B and C, two liver
diseases that together infect three to five times more Americans
than HIV. Over the next decade, 150,000 people in the United States
will die of either hepatitis B or C, according to the report.
Though some patients fight them off, the viruses become chronic and
incurable in 3.5 million to 5.3 million Americans, IOM estimates.
Hepatitis B and C necessitate nearly half the liver transplants
performed each year, and the infections disproportionately affect
minorities, including blacks, Asians and Pacific Islanders.
IOM’s recommendations include: *Boosting public
awareness. People at greatest risk for hepatitis B include those
born in parts of Asia and Afric...
CHINA: China Reports Surging Hepatitis C Infections
New hepatitis C virus infections in China shot up from 70,000 in
2006 to 131,849 in 2009, the Ministry of Health reported Wednesday.
According to the China Foundation for Hepatitis Prevention and
Control, 38 million Chinese were infected with the virus as of the
end of 2007. Because HCV and HIV share similar routes of infection
and are more common in certain high-risk groups, the government is
looking at ways to use existing HIV testing and treatment networks
to curtail the spread of HCV. [Article source:
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/]
AUSTRALIA: Most Australians Have Little Knowledge of Hepatitis
Most people in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory
do not know that hepatitis C and B can cause cancer, a new survey
by Hepatitis Australia shows. The organization polled 1,000 people
and released the results ahead of World Hepatitis Day on May 19 and
the May 17-23 Hepatitis Awareness Week in Australia.\n\nOf those
surveyed, 80-85 percent did not realize hepatitis B and C can cause
cancer, and common symptoms of hepatitis were
“largely unknown†by the
respondents. The majority also did not know that hepatitis C often
can be cleared with treatment, or that hepatitis B can be
effectively managed and treated. In addition, 45 percent wrongly
believed hepatitis C is transmitted through saliva. Only 55 percent
of respondents knew that hepatitis B can be transmitted
sexually....
WEST VIRGINIA: W.Va. Urges Testing After Hepatitis B Outbreak
The West Virginia Bureau of Public Health (WVBPH) is contacting
almost 2,000 people who may be at risk of hepatitis B after
participating in a free dental clinic. The alert centers on
patients and volunteers who took part in the Mission of Mercy
Dental Clinic in Berkeley County in June 2009. In November, three
clinic patients and two volunteers developed acute hepatitis B.
WVBPH is not sure all the cases are linked to the clinic, but tests
show four likely were infected by the same source. Letters
recommending testing are being mailed to 1,137 clinic patients and
826 clinic volunteers. Although most of those affected are West
Virginians, others receiving the letters are residents of Virginia,
Maryland, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Washington, D.C. While
the risk of widespread il...
UTAH: Quiznos Worker Tests Positive for Hepatitis
Persons who ate food from a Salt Lake City Quiznos restaurant on
Aug. 6-7 are at risk of hepatitis A and encouraged to obtain an
injection of immune globulin or hepatitis A vaccine as soon as
possible. The warning is prompted by a diagnosis of hepatitis A in
an employee of the restaurant, located at 30 E. Broadway (300
South). No additional cases of hepatitis A are associated with the
restaurant, which is open and poses no further risk of exposure,
said Salt Lake Valley Health Department (SLVHD) spokesperson Pam
Davenport. Vaccinations are available at no charge until 6:30 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 20 and from 8 a.m. to noon, Saturday, Aug. 21, at the
SLVHD City Clinic, 610 S. 200 East. People who ate at the
restaurant on the relevant dates but who are now out of the area
are urged to contact a ...
