The ongoing hepatitis C campaign

A comment from HFA

Dr Sumit Parikh’s report in this issue of National Haemophilia is a welcome confirmation that Australians with bleeding disorders and hepatitis C have been able to access the new DAA treatments and be cured of their hepatitis C. We have heard from Haemophilia Treatment Centres that most of their patients have now had treatment and been cured and we look forward to an update from AHCDO with data from 2018 to confirm this.

It is important not to lose sight of the Australians with bleeding disorders who have not yet had testing and treatment for hepatitis C. This includes people who had blood products to treat their bleeding disorder before 1993 but are not registered in the ABDR – often people with mild bleeding disorders, who are not in contact with their Haemophilia Treatment Centre. It also includes people who have lost touch with their HTC for various reasons.

Our strategies to reach this group have targeted community doctors such as general practitioners who may see people with mild bleeding disorders in their practice, and also family and friends who are in contact with people with bleeding disorders not actively involved with an HTC:

After feedback from HFA and AHCDO, the national clinical management consensus guidelines on who to test for hepatitis C virus now include ‘people with coagulation disorders who received blood products or plasma-derived clotting factor treatment products before 1993’.
AHCDO and HFA collaborated with hepatitis experts to produce a fact sheet for general practitioners on people with bleeding disorders and hepatitis C. This has been promoted through the viral hepatitis networks and to GP organisations.

HFA’s World Hepatitis Day campaign has included messages for family and friends to pass on to those affected, with compelling personal stories about treatment and cure.
HFA continues to work with Hepatitis Australia and other hepatitis research organisations on wider community strategies to promote testing and treatment to people with hepatitis C.

It would be a great tragedy for someone with undiagnosed hepatitis C to go on to develop advanced liver disease or liver cancer when they could have had the opportunity for testing, treatment and cure, and HFA is committed to doing our very best to reach everyone affected in the bleeding disorders community.

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The ongoing hepatitis C campaign

A comment from HFA

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