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YOU COULD HAVE Hepatitis C but not know it.
That’s the message this World Hepatitis Day from three groups who are encouraging people to get tested for the disease.
Up to 50,000 people in Ireland are affected by this ‘hidden’ disease, and the CThis campaign believes it is misunderstood.
CThis was created by Community Response, Dublin Aids Alliance and UISCE, who collectively provide support and advocate on behalf of people with blood-borne viruses as well as drug users.
They’re encouraging people who could be at risk of hepatitis C to get tested, or visit www.hepinfo.ie or ring the HSE helpline on 1800 459 459.
They will be bringing a two-metre tall green ‘C’ around Dublin city today “to symbolise the magnitude of hepatitis C”.
How can you contract Hepatitis C?
Although up to 50,000 Irish people may be infected with hepatitis C, in the early stages most people don’t experience any symptoms and don’t realise they have the virus.
This leads to people not being diagnosed until more serious symptoms occur, such as cirrhosis (scarring) of the liver.
Up to 1,000 new cases are identified each year with up to 20% of these developing cirrhosis of the liver.
Hepatitis C is transmitted from person-to-person through blood-to-blood contact, such as:
Nicola Perry of Community Response said:
Hepatitis C is often misunderstood by the public. It can be confused with hepatitis A or B where there are vaccines available. Hepatitis C cannot currently be vaccinated against and can lead to a long-term infection. People need to be aware how hepatitis C is contracted and get tested if they feel they could be at-risk.
The groups said that while approximately 75% of hepatitis C cases are associated with drug use, “many people have kicked their drug habit and are now leading normal lives, completely unaware that they have a virus that is causing serious damage to their liver”.
Testing is available for free at public STI clinics.
Funding badly needed
Dr Shay Keating of the Drug Treatment Centre Board also noted that to date, no funding has been made available for the implementation of the HSE’s Hepatitis C Strategy.
He said that while they “are treating as many patients as possible, we are not getting as far ahead as we would like”.
Additional funding and a lift of the moratorium to recruit additional staff are needed in order to implement the national strategy fully.
Nicola Perry of Community Response said:
Hepatitis C is an infectious disease, often with no symptoms, and can lead to severe liver conditions. Of those who develop chronic hepatitis C, an estimated 30% will develop cirrhosis; others will develop liver cancer, some of whom may require liver transplantation. Chronic hepatitis C is the most common reason for liver transplants in Europe and poses a significant public health burden.
A Treat It, Beat It campaign has been launched by Community Response and Janssen.
It includes a place on the Community Response website for people to petition their local TDs urging them to ensure that resourcing of the National Hepatitis C Strategy is a priority in Budget 2015.
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People aren’t going to stop taking them, on-site testing facilities would be a forward thinking solution.
@Gav Brosnan: natural selection would be another. Just because society won’t make it legal doesn’t absolve you of responsibility. Ingest unknown substances!! More fool you.
@SFLounyTouny: Gav is advocating a solution to the unknown substances problem.
Would you actually not support safety initiatives for people to test pills but you’d rather say I told you so to the 0.0001% of people who ever have an issue with them?
@SFLounyTouny: yeah I agree, its not smart to take stuff you that you don’t know the contents and source of but people will still do it, a lot of people. Just because its stupid doesn’t mean it wont happen. The risks can always be lessened.
@Gav Brosnan: the risk can be lessened!! The risk can be eliminated completely..dont take them.
@SFLounyTouny: oh that’s that sorted so. Hope everyone caught that.
@SFLounyTouny: you clearly don’t live in the real world.
@Gav Brosnan: yes I do…take unknown substances and risk death..don’t take unknown substance and no risk of death..quite simple.
I have to say this is absolutely sound advice from the HSE and it’s good to see a sensible approach taken for once. Obviously the clear message is don’t take drugs but the advice given is 100% correct and relevant. It could save a life
@Coco86: a pill testing station would also help
@John Longmore: Agreed. Might actually turn people off if you new exactly what was in it.
@John Longmore: i believe the legal situation wouldn’t allow them to be handed back, so fairly pointless at the minute
@Coco86: Agreed, it’s good to see them coming around to the type of practical advice that club magazines provided in the 90s. It’s a lonnnnng time since I touched anything but good advice still applies.
2 weeks between sessions seems a little unrealistic for most heads though. And its better to test the batch before, or talk to your friends, as you’re unlikely to show discipline at the start of a session when you’re hyped up. Most people wouldn’t knowingly bring speckled pills to a festival as a sizeable number of folks don’t like tripping or are not cut out for it in large crowds of people they don’t know.
@Julian Friesel: Just give one keep the rest :)
@Rónán O’Suilleabháin: The thoughts of e’s make me gag now man absolutely putrid rotten yokes! But back in the day I did my fair share and looking back now I’m lucky to have made it through those mad teenage early 20′s years! But we all know the risks albeit understand them that bit better as you get older. Hopefully everyone enjoys this year’s festivals and gets home safe,
Don’t take them is also good advice.
@Jalbeardzi, Yup and if you dont, just take a little bit seen how you feel in an hour before you escalate
Let’s hope the yes side come out in as much force on this issue, “women take abortion pills let’s make it safe for them” people take recreational drugs let’s make it safe for them. Legalise and regulate from manufacture to consumer
Perhaps enforcing drug laws would be a start
@Steve1234: They clearly don’t work
@Coco86: They’re not enforced. People used to drink and drive regularly until it was treated seriously and now a lot less people do it as there is more chance of being caught. If the same approach was taken to drugs it would have the same results
@Steve1234: Evidence from every country that has tried this shows it doesn’t work. All you end up with is prisons filled with decent people for minor drug offences.
@Steve1234: Of course they are enforced, have you ever witnessed anybody taking lines off the bar having a pint? No, because it’s illegal people will use the toilets instead! If anything I would say they are enforced too much and you must admit the so called war on drugs is being catastrophically lost. I agree with you on your drink driving comparison but this is not the right approach here IMO. Why criminalise the person with 20 euro worth of MDMA in their pocket when the real problem is at the top of the chain making millions? There will always be a demand for drugs so provide safe substances and make those on top irrelevant
Traditional party drugs like MDMA are quite safe substances, certainly no more dangerous than alcohol and likely safer. Where the danger arises is with adulterated substances, toxic derivatives or substances passed off as something they’re not. This is a result of prohibition and the black market drug trade. If alcohol were illegal, you would see deaths due to methanol poisoning from home brews as is common now in many Islamic countries where alcohol is prohibited. The substances we know to be relatively safe from clinical studies (MDMA, LSD, psilocybin, cannabis etc.) should be regulated and allowed to be openly sold as alcohol is. Dangerous derivatives and the like should still be banned.
Lesson number 1. Know you’re dealer.
@Dj: lesson number 2 “you’re” means “you are”
@Dj: Absolutely I am… You either do it, or you lie and say you don’t do it
@Dj: Question is does your dealer know their dealer and so on. The MDMA or pills the user consumes has passed through so many hands! The best thing is to listen to the advice given above and enjoy yourself, and the buzz!
@Coco86: Well, if you’ve been buying off a dealer for a period of time and it’s good stuff then I don’t see the need to buy some crap off some shifty looking bloke in the public toilets. Just come prepared is all.
@Dj: That’s true I’d sooner go without than risk some filthy crap from a randomer, you seem to think likewise :)
Unfortunately though I would think a lot of people particularly kids wouldn’t see it that way.
@Dj: Lesson No. 47 – Learn to count
@Dj (know your dealer) As if that makes any difference he doesn’t give a toss about you .
Prohibition KILLS
At the same time as an online poll here regarding possession of small amounts of illegal substances.
“Chewing gum can help jaw cramps” – yeah, will help GIVE you jaw cramps! And wreck your stomach. Clearly never did a pill in his life!
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