GREENFIELD — As Hepatitis C rates have risen sharply in Franklin County, neighboring Hampshire County has seen a slower trend and a lower rate, tempered perhaps by prevention efforts.
Franklin County’s rate of 131 newly discovered Hepatitis C cases per 100,000 residents in 2014 was just under the statewide rate of 134, while Hampshire County trailed with a rate of 73. This is a population-adjusted measure, using numbers collected by the Mass. Department of Public Health. In simple numbers, Franklin County had 94 new cases in 2014 and Hampshire County 116.
Greenfield saw 40 newly discovered cases of the blood-borne liver disease in 2014, while its larger sister to the south saw 29. Northampton’s population of 28,549 at the last census outnumbered Greenfield 3 to 2.
Read more....
Showing posts with label hepatitis C. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hepatitis C. Show all posts
Monday, September 7, 2015
Friday, September 4, 2015
Diabetes and Fatty Liver Associated with Further Liver Problems--- Adding liver fibrosis to the long list of diabetic complications under consideration...
A recent study published in Hepatology evaluated various risk factors for liver fibrosis in a Dutch population. The call for concern is the prevalence of liver fibrosis in a patient population with low prevalence of hepatitis—the usual suspect of causation.
Some links have shown non-alcoholic liver disease has a connection to liver fibrosis. Certainly, identifying modifiable risk factors and their impact in developing liver problems can be important to targeting change.
The prospective cohort study was conducted over two years in Rotterdam on 3,041 patients, 45 years or older. Abdominal ultrasounds were used to scan their livers and evaluate liver stiffness to characterize potential fibrosis. Further collections of blood, anthropometric measures, medical history, demographics, drug use, alcohol consumption, smoking history and comorbidities were evaluated.
Just over one-third (35.5%) of the patients had the presence of fatty liver and 5.6% of the patients had a liver stiffness over 8 kPa or clinically relevant for liver fibrosis. Not surprisingly, having the presence of positive surface antigens for hepatitis B or C resulted in a five-fold increased chance in also having liver fibrosis
Read more.....
Some links have shown non-alcoholic liver disease has a connection to liver fibrosis. Certainly, identifying modifiable risk factors and their impact in developing liver problems can be important to targeting change.
The prospective cohort study was conducted over two years in Rotterdam on 3,041 patients, 45 years or older. Abdominal ultrasounds were used to scan their livers and evaluate liver stiffness to characterize potential fibrosis. Further collections of blood, anthropometric measures, medical history, demographics, drug use, alcohol consumption, smoking history and comorbidities were evaluated.
Just over one-third (35.5%) of the patients had the presence of fatty liver and 5.6% of the patients had a liver stiffness over 8 kPa or clinically relevant for liver fibrosis. Not surprisingly, having the presence of positive surface antigens for hepatitis B or C resulted in a five-fold increased chance in also having liver fibrosis
Read more.....
First-ever World Hepatitis Summit calls for national programmes-- Follows rise in hepatitis deaths for fifth consecutive year
The first World Hepatitis Summit is being held this week in Glasgow to urge countries to develop national programmes to help eliminate viral hepatitis.
Deaths from the disease have increased for a fifth year running and there are currently 400 million people living with the condition as it now claims an estimated 1.45 million lives each year, making it one of the world's leading causes of death.
Policymakers and stakeholders at the three-day meeting will discuss the World Health Organization's (WHO) Global Health Sector Strategy on Viral Hepatitis, which sets targets for 2030.
Read more.....
Deaths from the disease have increased for a fifth year running and there are currently 400 million people living with the condition as it now claims an estimated 1.45 million lives each year, making it one of the world's leading causes of death.
Policymakers and stakeholders at the three-day meeting will discuss the World Health Organization's (WHO) Global Health Sector Strategy on Viral Hepatitis, which sets targets for 2030.
Read more.....
Free Helpline and App for Hepatitis C Patients Offer Peer Support and Self-Care Tools
Viral hepatitis is known as the silent epidemic, because it is a disease that is both under-recognized and underdiagnosed. Hepatitis can result from infection with several different viruses, including hepatitis C virus (HCV). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that nearly 3.2 million people are chronically infected with HCV and that nearly half are unaware of their infection. Untreated, hepatitis C infection can lead to liver cancer and death; yet, we have more tools than ever before to respond successfully to this epidemic. The availability of expanded coverage for preventive screening for hepatitis C under the Affordable Care Act and new therapies with cure rates over 90% are galvanizing consumer and provider awareness of this important public health issue.
One of the four goals of the national Viral Hepatitis Action Plan seeks to improve HCV testing and linkage to care for the estimated millions of Americans who are living with undiagnosed hepatitis C. The plan also seeks to ensure that individuals, who have been previously diagnosed with HCV— but are not in care— take steps to prevent damage from chronic, untreated HCV infection
read more.....
One of the four goals of the national Viral Hepatitis Action Plan seeks to improve HCV testing and linkage to care for the estimated millions of Americans who are living with undiagnosed hepatitis C. The plan also seeks to ensure that individuals, who have been previously diagnosed with HCV— but are not in care— take steps to prevent damage from chronic, untreated HCV infection
read more.....
Thursday, September 3, 2015
Can vaccination contribute to hepatitis C elimination efforts? A Q+A with Nick Scott
In a recent research article published in BMC Medicine, Nick Scott and colleagues used a mathematical modeling approach to show that vaccination is likely to play a role in reducing hepatitis C prevalence. Here, Dr Scott answers our questions about the study, and explores whether vaccination could help to eliminate the infection.
Nick Scott is an Econometrician at the Burnet Institute in Melbourne, Australia. Since completing his mathematics PhD in 2012, he has been modelling infectious disease transmission among vulnerable populations to inform public health policy.
In most developed settings, new HCV infections and HCV-related liver disease occur among largely disjoint populations. New HCV infections primarily occur among people who inject drugs (PWID) through the sharing of injecting paraphernalia, but the slow progression to liver disease means that the burden of disease is increasingly occurring in an aging population.
Read more.....
Nick Scott is an Econometrician at the Burnet Institute in Melbourne, Australia. Since completing his mathematics PhD in 2012, he has been modelling infectious disease transmission among vulnerable populations to inform public health policy.
In most developed settings, new HCV infections and HCV-related liver disease occur among largely disjoint populations. New HCV infections primarily occur among people who inject drugs (PWID) through the sharing of injecting paraphernalia, but the slow progression to liver disease means that the burden of disease is increasingly occurring in an aging population.
Read more.....
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
World Hepatitis Summit harnesses global momentum to eliminate viral hepatitis
2 SEPTEMBER 2015 ¦ GLASGOW - Participants at the first-ever World Hepatitis Summit will urge countries to develop national programmes that can ultimately eliminate viral hepatitis as a problem of public health concern.
“We know how to prevent viral hepatitis, we have a safe and effective vaccine for hepatitis B, and we now have medicines that can cure people with hepatitis C and control hepatitis B infection,” said Dr Gottfried Hirnschall, Director of the WHO’s Global Hepatitis Programme. “Yet access to diagnosis and treatment is still lacking or inaccessible in many parts of the world. This summit is a wake-up call to build momentum to prevent, diagnose, treat - and eventually eliminate viral hepatitis as a public health problem.”
Around 400 million people are currently living with viral hepatitis, and the disease claims an estimated 1.45 million lives each year, making it one of the world’s leading causes of death. Hepatitis B and C together cause approximately 80% of all liver cancer deaths, yet most people living with chronic viral hepatitis are unaware of their infection.
Read more.....
“We know how to prevent viral hepatitis, we have a safe and effective vaccine for hepatitis B, and we now have medicines that can cure people with hepatitis C and control hepatitis B infection,” said Dr Gottfried Hirnschall, Director of the WHO’s Global Hepatitis Programme. “Yet access to diagnosis and treatment is still lacking or inaccessible in many parts of the world. This summit is a wake-up call to build momentum to prevent, diagnose, treat - and eventually eliminate viral hepatitis as a public health problem.”
Around 400 million people are currently living with viral hepatitis, and the disease claims an estimated 1.45 million lives each year, making it one of the world’s leading causes of death. Hepatitis B and C together cause approximately 80% of all liver cancer deaths, yet most people living with chronic viral hepatitis are unaware of their infection.
Read more.....
Tuesday, September 1, 2015
Huntington needle exchange program set to launch
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — West Virginia’s first-of-its-kind syringe exchange program will launch Wednesday in Huntington and Cabell County.
“The community has recognized a need and demand of this service for some time and we’re just excited to be able to offer it,” said Michael Kilkenny, the physician director for the Cabell-Huntington Health Department.
The pilot project will involve education and treatment resources to make clean needles more readily available. There will also be efforts to stop the spread of infectious diseases, like hepatitis B and hepatitis C, by giving addicts points of contact within the health department.
Read more.....
“The community has recognized a need and demand of this service for some time and we’re just excited to be able to offer it,” said Michael Kilkenny, the physician director for the Cabell-Huntington Health Department.
The pilot project will involve education and treatment resources to make clean needles more readily available. There will also be efforts to stop the spread of infectious diseases, like hepatitis B and hepatitis C, by giving addicts points of contact within the health department.
Read more.....
Monday, August 31, 2015
China, Taiwan FDAs accept trial applications for IFN-free HCV regimen
The China and Taiwan Food and Drug Administrations have accepted clinical trial applications filed by Ascletis Innovation for its interferon-free regimen to treat chronic hepatitis C virus infection, according to a press release
Ascletis is the first Chinese company to file clinical trial applications in China for an IFN-free regimen, according to the release, and will initiate a phase 2 trial in Taiwan. The trial will include a combination regimen of Danoprevir (ASC08), a direct-acting antiviral agent and NS3/4A inhibitor, and Ravidasvir (ASC16), an NS5A inhibitor.
“All oral IFN-free regimens are breakthrough treatments of [chronic hepatitis C] marketed outside China at the end of 2014. To date, there are no DAAs approved in China,” Zhuang Hui, MD, academician of the Chinese Engineering Academy and the honorary Chairman of the Chinese society of Hepatology at Peking University Health Science Center, said in the release. “We're very pleased that Ascletis is developing the first IFN-free regimen by a domestic company for [chronic hepatitis C] in China. It shows that the domestic pharmaceutical companies are now catching up with the global development for [chronic hepatitis C].”
Read more.....
Ascletis is the first Chinese company to file clinical trial applications in China for an IFN-free regimen, according to the release, and will initiate a phase 2 trial in Taiwan. The trial will include a combination regimen of Danoprevir (ASC08), a direct-acting antiviral agent and NS3/4A inhibitor, and Ravidasvir (ASC16), an NS5A inhibitor.
“All oral IFN-free regimens are breakthrough treatments of [chronic hepatitis C] marketed outside China at the end of 2014. To date, there are no DAAs approved in China,” Zhuang Hui, MD, academician of the Chinese Engineering Academy and the honorary Chairman of the Chinese society of Hepatology at Peking University Health Science Center, said in the release. “We're very pleased that Ascletis is developing the first IFN-free regimen by a domestic company for [chronic hepatitis C] in China. It shows that the domestic pharmaceutical companies are now catching up with the global development for [chronic hepatitis C].”
Read more.....
Eliminating Hepatitis C Means Treating Prisoners
Barry Michaelson is one of several people with hepatitis C who have sued this year to get access to new and very expensive treatments for the virus. But Michaelson’s lawsuit, unlike most of the others, isn’t against his insurance company. He’s suing the Minnesota Department of Corrections.
In May, Michaelson and another inmate filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of Minnesota prisoners to gain access to new, highly effective drugs for hepatitis C, a virus that’s now essentially curable but can cause cirrhosis, liver failure and cancer if left untreated. In the weeks since, similar lawsuits have been filed by inmates in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts.
It wasn’t until 1992 that we could even test for the hepatitis C virus (HCV). Now we effectively have a cure, but at about $84,000 a person, it’s one of the most expensive drugs to ever hit the market. Insurers, including Medicaid and Medicare, are paying for treatment only for people with advanced liver disease in most cases, causing experts to push the White House to expand treatment. But prisoners, though they are the only group in the U.S. with a constitutional right to health care, are even more limited in access to treatment.
Read more.....
In May, Michaelson and another inmate filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of Minnesota prisoners to gain access to new, highly effective drugs for hepatitis C, a virus that’s now essentially curable but can cause cirrhosis, liver failure and cancer if left untreated. In the weeks since, similar lawsuits have been filed by inmates in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts.
It wasn’t until 1992 that we could even test for the hepatitis C virus (HCV). Now we effectively have a cure, but at about $84,000 a person, it’s one of the most expensive drugs to ever hit the market. Insurers, including Medicaid and Medicare, are paying for treatment only for people with advanced liver disease in most cases, causing experts to push the White House to expand treatment. But prisoners, though they are the only group in the U.S. with a constitutional right to health care, are even more limited in access to treatment.
Read more.....
14 million EU citizens living with Hepatitis C; low figures for Malta
There are currently around 13.3 million Europeans living with hepatitis B and 14 million living with hepatitis C, MEP Miriam Dalli pointed out in a question posed to the European Parliament.
“Approximately 120,000 people in Europe every year die because of these diseases.”
In Malta, the number of cases did not seem high in 2013, with 3.3 people per 100,000 being reported as having been infected that year. The number in other states is considerably higher such as in the UK, where the number stood at 21.5 per 100,000 people (nearly 14,000 in total that year).
Read more......
Friday, August 28, 2015
Children as young as 10 are getting tattoos illegally, without realising they risk catching HIV and hepatitis
Children as young as 10 are getting tattoos, shocking new figures have revealed.
A worrying number of youngsters are visiting illegal tattoo parlours, unaware it is against the law for them to be inked before they are 18.
And half admitted to being unaware of the risk of infection from HIV and hepatitis.
Read more....
A worrying number of youngsters are visiting illegal tattoo parlours, unaware it is against the law for them to be inked before they are 18.
And half admitted to being unaware of the risk of infection from HIV and hepatitis.
Read more....
Monday, May 4, 2015
Egypt: Locally manufactured Sovaldi to be released soon
CAIRO: The Egyptian market will receive a new batch of the hepatitis C treatment medication Sovaldi next June after being manufactured locally, Youm 7 reported Sunday.
Pharmed Healthcare Executive Director, Mohamed Mabrouk, said that his firm will deliver 500,000 bottles after being manufactured with local chemical materials.
“This step will give the Egyptian market an unprecedented motive,” he said.
Read more...
Pharmed Healthcare Executive Director, Mohamed Mabrouk, said that his firm will deliver 500,000 bottles after being manufactured with local chemical materials.
“This step will give the Egyptian market an unprecedented motive,” he said.
Read more...
Pakistan: Every 10th Pakistani suffering from hepatitis
LAHORE - Every 10th person in the country is suffering from one type of hepatitis or the other and the viral infection varies in severity from a self-limited condition with total recovery to a life-threatening or lifelong disease.
Over 20 million people in Pakistan are infected with hepatitis B and C virus including around 15 million with C and five million with B and the disease is swelling at an alarming rate, medical experts say.
“Owing to lack of preventive measures and treatment facilities, hepatitis prevalence in Pakistan is the highest on the globe.
Over 20 million people in Pakistan are infected with hepatitis B and C virus including around 15 million with C and five million with B and the disease is swelling at an alarming rate, medical experts say.
“Owing to lack of preventive measures and treatment facilities, hepatitis prevalence in Pakistan is the highest on the globe.
- Every 10th person is infected with hepatitis.
- Over 1.
- 5 lakh hepatitis patients die annually.
- As such over 400 people are losing life to hepatitis every day.
- Every year, over 1.
- 5 lakh Hepatitis patients are added to the existing patient load,” said senior consultant and Principal Gujranwala Medical College Prof Aftab Mohsan.
Friday, May 1, 2015
Register Today for Webinar on Hepatitis C and African American Women
In recognition of both National Women’s Health Week and Hepatitis Awareness Month, the HHS Offices on Women’s Health, Minority Health, and HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Policy are co-sponsoring a webinar, Hepatitis C and African American Women, on Thursday, May 7, 2015 – 1:30-2:45 PM (ET).
Because of disproportionate rates of hepatitis C virus infection, African Americans are among the populations prioritized by the Action Plan for the Prevention, Care and Treatment of Viral Hepatitis (Action Plan), which outlines steps to educate communities about the benefits of viral hepatitis prevention, care, and treatment as well as actions to enhance healthcare provider knowledge about the populations most heavily impacted. The national Action Plan underscores the importance of the participation and engagement of partners from many sectors beyond the federal government in order to achieve the plan’s life-saving goals, especially those related to addressing health disparities like improving outcomes for African Americans living with hepatitis C.
Webinar presenters will discuss how women may be affected by hepatitis C, challenges and strategies to improve testing and access to care, and what steps individuals and health care providers can take to address hepatitis C among women in the African American community.
Register for the webinar today !
Presenters will include:
- See more at: https://blog.aids.gov/2015/05/register-today-for-webinar-on-hepatitis-c-and-african-american-women.html#sthash.kNhhtwoY.dpuf
Because of disproportionate rates of hepatitis C virus infection, African Americans are among the populations prioritized by the Action Plan for the Prevention, Care and Treatment of Viral Hepatitis (Action Plan), which outlines steps to educate communities about the benefits of viral hepatitis prevention, care, and treatment as well as actions to enhance healthcare provider knowledge about the populations most heavily impacted. The national Action Plan underscores the importance of the participation and engagement of partners from many sectors beyond the federal government in order to achieve the plan’s life-saving goals, especially those related to addressing health disparities like improving outcomes for African Americans living with hepatitis C.
Webinar presenters will discuss how women may be affected by hepatitis C, challenges and strategies to improve testing and access to care, and what steps individuals and health care providers can take to address hepatitis C among women in the African American community.
Register for the webinar today !
Presenters will include:
- Hope King [ PDF 92.2 KB], PhD, MSPH, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, Atlanta
- Camilla Graham [ PDF 92.2 KB], MD, MPH, Viral Hepatitis Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston
- Gloria Searson [ PDF 92.2 KB], ACSW, Coalition on Positive Health Empowerment, New York City
- Key hepatitis C data including the health disparities among African Americans,
- Recent hepatitis C treatment advances,
- Why African American women should know about hepatitis C, and
- Resources available to help increase awareness and learn more about hepatitis C.
- See more at: https://blog.aids.gov/2015/05/register-today-for-webinar-on-hepatitis-c-and-african-american-women.html#sthash.kNhhtwoY.dpuf
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Kentucky to Allow Local Needle Exchanges
In a last-minute compromise, Kentucky lawmakers took a strong, collective step toward combating the heroin epidemic that kills hundreds each year and puts countless others in danger. The Kentucky House of Representatives voted 100-0 in favor of Senate Bill 216, while the Senate voted 34-4 in favor.
The most debated part of the bill was approval of local needle exchanges, which would be funded through tax dollars. Opponents in the Senate, who voted after the House unanimously approved the bill, said needle exchanges would further enable heroin users and make the overall problem worse. Supporters said needle exchanges will keep used needles out of public areas, and lessen the risk of infection to those who do not use drugs. They also pointed to studies that claim needle exchanges curb the spread of diseases like Hepatitis C and AIDS.
SB 216 also calls for tougher punishment for convicted large-scale traffickers. They are dealers carrying at least 60 grams of heroin. They would have to serve at least half their sentences before any possibility of parole.
The end of hepatitis C?
2014 will do down as a pivotal year in the fight against hepatitis C virus (HCV), a blood-borne infection that is thought to infect around 2.5% of the world's population - some 170 million people.
The availability of new, more effective therapies for hepatitis C virus have raised the tantalising prospect of being able to eliminate the infection on a global basis, although there are still significant obstacles to overcome.
Viral hepatitis - which generally means hepatitis B and C - “kills more people every year than HIV, malaria and tuberculosis combined, but has not had the same level of resources committed to it,” according to Charles Gore, who is chief executive of the Hepatitis C Trust in the UK and president of the World Hepatitis Alliance (WHA).
AIDS Specialist Advocates Sweeping Approach to Battle Against Hepatitis C
Could hepatitis C be the next communicable disease to come under a targeted attack in B.C.?
It will be if HIV/AIDS expert Dr. Julio Montaner has his way.
Montaner said Tuesday that even if the virus is eradicated among baby boomers, that won’t stop its continued spread.
USA-Lack of Insurance Bars Some from Hepatitis C Treatment
Survey data from 2001 to 2010 show that lack of insurance kept some people with hepatitis C virus from getting treatment.
Recently, more effective and well-tolerated drugs have been developed to treat hepatitis C, removing many of the discouraging side effects of older drugs. The infection is curable and transmission can be prevented, researchers write in the American Journal of Gastroenterology.
But for the more than three million people in the U.S. who have chronic liver disease from hepatitis C, there are still two important barriers to getting treatment, said lead author Dr. Ivo Ditah from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
UK-Prime Minister Apologizes for Tainted Blood Scandal That Infected Thousands in '70s, '80s
LONDON— British Prime Minister David Cameron on Wednesday apologized to thousands of patients who were infected from contaminated blood during the 1970s and 1980s.
Tainted government blood products and transfusions infected an estimated 2,500 people with the hepatitis C virus and HIV from 1970 to 1991. The scandal has been called the worst treatment disaster in the history of Britain's public health care system.
Cameron's apology came after a six-year official inquiry was completed. The probe said more should have been done to screen blood and donors in the early 1990s, and that the collection of blood from prisoners should have stopped earlier.
Cipla launches generic Hepatitis C drug Hepcvir
Cipla, on Wednesday, announced the launch of generic drug Sofosbuvir for treating chronic Hepatitis C under the brand name Hepcvir.
“Following the non-exclusive licensing agreement signed with Gilead Sciences in September last to manufacture and market chronic Hepatitis C medicines, Cipla is now all set to make the drug Sofosbuvir available to Indian patients in a week’s time,” the company said in a statement.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)