Waiting list for hepatitis treatment down to zero, thanks to Plymouth community collaboration
28 July marks the 10th official World Hepatitis Day
The waiting list for hepatitis treatment down to zero, thanks to Plymouth community collaboration
As today, Wednesday 28 July 2021, marks the 10th official World Hepatitis Day, we celebrate the remarkable achievements of staff at University Hospitals Plymouth and their work with the local community towards eliminating the disease.
Hepatitis is a term used to describe inflammation of the liver. It is most often caused by a viral infection with the hepatitis B or hepatitis C virus. If left undiagnosed and untreated, chronic viral hepatitis can lead to liver failure or liver cancer, which can both be fatal. Figures from the World Hepatitis Alliance show that globally there are 1.4 million deaths per year from hepatitis B and C, and 290 million people living with viral hepatitis worldwide who are unaware that they have the condition.
Jayne Roue, the South West Peninsula Hepatitis C Operational Delivery Network Manager, explains: “This year, the theme for World Hepatitis Day is ‘Hepatitis Can’t Wait’ and that couldn’t be truer. Every 30 seconds someone around the world dies from a hepatitis related illness, but these lives can be saved. Those who have viral hepatitis can’t wait to be tested, nor can they wait to receive the life-saving treatments that are freely available to them in the UK. That’s why we’ve been going above and beyond here in the South West so that no one has to wait.”
Indeed, the incredible hard work and collaborative efforts of the Plymouth Alliance, comprising of hepatology staff from University Hospitals Plymouth and several local community organisations, supported by the community peer support team from the Hepatitis C Trust, has meant that there is no waiting list for anyone in the local area who needs and wants to be seen for testing or treatment.