CAIRO: Minister of Health Adel al-Adawy announced that two new hepatitis C drugs, Harvoni and Viekira, are to be available at the hepatitis treatment centers by next November, youm7 reported Wednesday.
There are 2.3 million hepatitis C patients in Egypt, while 996,642 patients applied on the website of the National Committee for the Control of Viral Hepatitis to be treated by Sovaldi until last June, according to Adawy.
He added that 85,536 patients were provided with the treatment until the end of June.
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Wednesday, July 8, 2015
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
Canada: Retired nurse from Halton was shocked when she was diagnosed with Hep C
Halton residents asked to recognize World Hepatitis Day by tweeting
She spent most of her adult life working as an emergency room nurse and was looking forward to a less stressful retirement.
So the Halton resident never imagined a routine check-up with her family doctor would reveal she had contracted Hepatitis C.
“It came as a complete shock,” said the married woman with three adult sons. “I didn’t have any inkling I had this disease.
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Monday, July 6, 2015
Hepatitis C surge in central Ohio may spur needle-exchange program
The boom in heroin use paired with a surge in hepatitis C infections in Franklin County and across Ohio have heightened worries about the spread of other diseases, particularly HIV, and sparked conversations about a local needle exchange.
Hepatitis C, a treatable but sometimes deadly viral disease that attacks the liver, was diagnosed in 719 people in Franklin County five years ago. The number had nearly doubled by last year, to 1,369, according to data from Columbus Public Health. So far this year, the county is on pace to record more than 1,400 cases. In just one year, the number of hepatitis C cases statewide grew from 10,020 in 2013 to 15,887 in 2014.
Some of that most certainly is due to a push for testing at-risk baby boomers that has been fueled by better treatments. But there’s little question among doctors and public-health leaders that needle-sharing by people using heroin and other drugs is playing a role. Last year, 603 of the cases in Franklin County were in people 34 or younger.
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Hepatitis C, a treatable but sometimes deadly viral disease that attacks the liver, was diagnosed in 719 people in Franklin County five years ago. The number had nearly doubled by last year, to 1,369, according to data from Columbus Public Health. So far this year, the county is on pace to record more than 1,400 cases. In just one year, the number of hepatitis C cases statewide grew from 10,020 in 2013 to 15,887 in 2014.
Some of that most certainly is due to a push for testing at-risk baby boomers that has been fueled by better treatments. But there’s little question among doctors and public-health leaders that needle-sharing by people using heroin and other drugs is playing a role. Last year, 603 of the cases in Franklin County were in people 34 or younger.
Read more...
Hepatitis C cases soar with Maine heroin epidemic
Maine is undergoing its worst acute hepatitis C outbreak since it began recording cases in the 1990s. Reported cases of the disease have soared since 2013, corresponding with skyrocketing heroin use, and are more than triple the national average.
The heroin epidemic is causing many undesirable ripple effects in Maine, public health advocates say, including the spread of infectious diseases such as hepatitis C.
Acute cases – a six-month infection where symptoms manifest themselves – more than tripled from 2013 to 2014, from nine to 31, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. At the same time, chronic hepatitis C – long-term infections that can sometimes last a lifetime – increased 25 percent, from 1,142 cases in 2010 to 1,425 in 2014.
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The heroin epidemic is causing many undesirable ripple effects in Maine, public health advocates say, including the spread of infectious diseases such as hepatitis C.
Acute cases – a six-month infection where symptoms manifest themselves – more than tripled from 2013 to 2014, from nine to 31, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. At the same time, chronic hepatitis C – long-term infections that can sometimes last a lifetime – increased 25 percent, from 1,142 cases in 2010 to 1,425 in 2014.
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Canada: Leading Canadian researcher calls for inclusion of co-infected people in large HCV clinical trials
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infects the liver. Chronic infection with HCV causes inflammation in this vital organ and slowly degrades it as healthy tissue is replaced with scar tissue. This ongoing injury to the liver results in complications, including bacterial infections, internal bleeding and liver, kidney and brain dysfunction. If left untreated, HCV infection can cause severe liver injury, the liver can stop working and death can occur. HCV infection also increases the risk for developing liver cancer.
Impact of HIV co-infection
Co-infection with HCV and HIV is relatively common, as both viruses have shared routes of infection. HIV-HCV co-infection accelerates the pace of HCV-related liver injury.
Historically, co-infected people have had increased rates of illness and death compared to people with HCV infection alone (mono-infection). There are at least two reasons for this, as follows:
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Impact of HIV co-infection
Co-infection with HCV and HIV is relatively common, as both viruses have shared routes of infection. HIV-HCV co-infection accelerates the pace of HCV-related liver injury.
Historically, co-infected people have had increased rates of illness and death compared to people with HCV infection alone (mono-infection). There are at least two reasons for this, as follows:
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Two Current Fronts of the American Health Care Wars: Hepatitis C and Cancer
The Pharmaceutical Industry, Health Insurance and Recurrent Questions of Extortion, Murder and Evil
Asking patients to delay treatment for hepatitis C is like asking patients to delay treatment for diabetes or cancer.
"Waiting for cirrhosis to happen to treat HCV is like waiting for cancer to metastasize or for diabetes to cause complications before treating it. In reality, all cause mortality and per patient per year health care costs are tripled for patients with hepatitis C, whether they have cirrhosis or not."
-- Dr. Douglas Dieterich, leading hepatitis C and liver diseases researcher and specialist at the Mount Sinai Hospital, New York City
My friend John is a retired college professor who lives on a budget. He has hepatitis C, which he acquired from a blood transfusion before the development of blood testing and screening for hep C. He does have health insurance, but like most of those seeking treatment for this condition, he has been told that he must become demonstrably sicker to qualify for treatment coverage. Meanwhile, he must not drink any alcohol and remain vigilant for symptoms, especially fatigue. Since the progression of hepatitis C to cirrhosis of the liver and cancer of the liver can take decades, and John has already had this disease for decades, he is understandably concerned. In fact, he may die sooner from other causes, his untreated hepatitis C playing an indeterminate role. There is, however, an alternative for John. If he had the $100,000+ in cash to pay for the treatment now, he could be fully and safely cured in 8-12 weeks. John does not identify himself as a socialist, and he is willing to pay what he can for treatment, but the cost in this case is overwhelming.
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Asking patients to delay treatment for hepatitis C is like asking patients to delay treatment for diabetes or cancer.
"Waiting for cirrhosis to happen to treat HCV is like waiting for cancer to metastasize or for diabetes to cause complications before treating it. In reality, all cause mortality and per patient per year health care costs are tripled for patients with hepatitis C, whether they have cirrhosis or not."
-- Dr. Douglas Dieterich, leading hepatitis C and liver diseases researcher and specialist at the Mount Sinai Hospital, New York City
My friend John is a retired college professor who lives on a budget. He has hepatitis C, which he acquired from a blood transfusion before the development of blood testing and screening for hep C. He does have health insurance, but like most of those seeking treatment for this condition, he has been told that he must become demonstrably sicker to qualify for treatment coverage. Meanwhile, he must not drink any alcohol and remain vigilant for symptoms, especially fatigue. Since the progression of hepatitis C to cirrhosis of the liver and cancer of the liver can take decades, and John has already had this disease for decades, he is understandably concerned. In fact, he may die sooner from other causes, his untreated hepatitis C playing an indeterminate role. There is, however, an alternative for John. If he had the $100,000+ in cash to pay for the treatment now, he could be fully and safely cured in 8-12 weeks. John does not identify himself as a socialist, and he is willing to pay what he can for treatment, but the cost in this case is overwhelming.
Read more...
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