Staying Healthy

Hepatitis C

• Approximately 200,000 people in England have chronic Hepatitis C infection.

• Over time this can lead to cirrhosis and primary liver cancer.

• The majority of those infected are probably unaware – for every known case there may be four undiagnosed cases.

• Over 90% of those infected are intravenous drug users (HPA annual report 2007).

• In North Yorkshire the number of cases has increased year on year from 59 cases in 2003 to 141 in 2007.

What is Hepatitis C?

Hepatitis C is a blood-borne virus that can cause inflammation and significant liver damage.  Because the virus mutates it is hard for the immune system to locate and destroy. 

Worldwide, an estimated 200 million people are infected with Hepatitis C virus (HCV) but prevalence varies widely.  For example in Egypt it is over 10%; in the US it is believed to be nearly 2% and in northern Europe around 1%.  The UK has a relatively low prevalence, but in high risk populations prevalence is higher – around 30% intravenous drug users (IVDU) were found to test positive in a UK study in 2002, and incidence is higher in the prison population.

Avoiding Hepatitis C

There's no vaccine to protect against Hepatitis C, but the risk of transmitting infection or becoming infected can be minimised by avoiding contact with the blood or blood products:

• never share injecting or other drug equipment that might have been in contact with blood

• use a condom if unsure of partner’s sexual history - condoms provide all-in-one protection against pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection

• ensure the equipment used is sterile if considering ear or body piercing, tattoo or semi-permanent makeup, or acupuncture, in this country or abroad

• don’t share razors, toothbrushes or tweezers - these may have been in contact with blood

• cover all cuts and grazes with waterproof plasters, especially on your hands.

Please see the Hepatitis C factsheet for more information.

[Go To Top]

©North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust

Site Visitors

provided by nyypct.nhs.uk