Submitted by Barinder Khatra on Wed, 08/18/2010 - 14:36
NHS has been told to provide free-of-cost tests for hepatitis B and C in pharmacies. Hepatitis B and C cause severe damage to liver and can lead to liver cancer.
The study shows that one out of every six people is the carrier of either hepatitis C or hepatitis B virus. Both the viruses can be transmitted by infected blood.
When a pilot study was done in 19 pharmacies in five regions in the United Kingdom, it was found that more than expected people had the viruses.
The pharmacies conducted 236 tests, out of which 35 people (15%) had hepatitis C and 4 people (2%) were suffering from hepatitis B. The GP screening rate was 4% for hepatitis C and 2% for hepatitis B, respectively.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society and the Hepatitis C Trust want that more screenings should be done on a national scale. It is worth mentioning that lot of people carry the disease for a long time without showing any symptoms.
Charles Gore, the Chief Executive of the Hepatitis C Trust says that death rates from hepatitis are increasing significantly. He also said that it is very unfortunate that the number is increasing in those people who would have otherwise survived, if they were treated properly at the right time.
Gore also mentioned that, “we desperately need new approaches to testing that will find the undiagnosed patients. This pilot study shows pharmacy testing could be just what is needed”.
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