World Hepatitis Day takes place every year on 28 July to raise awareness of the global burden of viral hepatitis and to influence real change.
There are five main strains of the hepatitis virus – A, B, C, D and E. Every year, 1.3 million lives are lost to hepatitis which has become the world’s deadliest virus, after Covid-19.
This year’s World Hepatitis Day campaign is ‘Get the Facts. Get Tested.’
There are only five years left to meet the global goal of eliminating hepatitis by 2030 – so the need for testing and treatment is more important than ever.
What is Hepatitis C?
Hepatitis C is a virus that can infect the liver and is preventable, treatable, and curable for most people. If left untreated, however, the infection over time can lead to scarring on the liver (cirrhosis), liver failure or cancer.
The earlier people find out whether they are infected, the better the chance of a long and healthy life, and no further onward transmission.
Hepatitis C can be treated with a free course of tablets from the NHS, this highly effective treatment has minimal side effects and has a 95% cure rate.
Making change happen
The Sussex Hepatology Network, set up in 2016, is responsible for delivering hepatitis C treatment across the whole county and is comprised of two NHS Trusts: University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust), covering Brighton & Hove and West Sussex locations, and East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust (ESHT).
As well as other NHS trusts, they also collaborate with many different partner organisations, all of which are working toward the same goal of eliminating Hepatitis C in the UK by 2030.
Since 2016 the network has delivered more than 2,200 hepatitis C treatments to patients and out of all the networks in England, they treat the highest proportion of patients outside of hospital settings, focusing on making treatment as accessible as possible for people across Sussex.
