HEP CURED There is a cure, it’s a game changer and, with testing and treatment, we can eradicate the Hep C virus. e all know those feelings that go with your regular STI test: the anxiety about the blood test, and the awkward questions that go with it about partners, pills and party play. We live in exciting times, where we can prevent, treat, even cure most STIs. But there is more good news about blood borne viruses. Hepatitis C is now completely curable, and hep B is prevented by vaccination or can be treated, so that people can get on with life. Hepatitis C is a virus that’s spread through blood-to-blood contact. It can be transmitted through sharing unsterilised needles at parties or the gym, and it can also be transmitted through unprotected sex (albeit, very rarely). Once in our system, the virus sets about attacking the liver, potentially causing serious and life-threatening damage over the course of many years. There are rarely any symptoms until the liver has undergone significant damage. For this reason, many of the estimated 118,000 Australians living with Hepatitis C
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don’t know they have the virus. Previously, treatment was long and hard, had a low cure rate, frequently caused side effects and many patients discontinued treatment. Thankfully, this has changed with new directacting antivirals (DAAs), which attack the hep C virus and stop it reproducing. Taken as daily pills, DAAs cure 95 per cent of infections with little to no side effects. Most people are cured in just 8 or 12 weeks. As explained by someone who underwent treatment, “The side effects and liver biopsies stopped me from getting treatment earlier. But one of my friends did the DAA treatment. Hearing them talk about being cured and having more energy was the decider. Powerful words. I guess I’d become used to feeling unwell because after the treatment I felt better in ways I hadn’t realised had anything to do with my liver.”
DAA Treatments Cure Over 95 Perecnt Of People With Little To No Side Effects DAAs have completely revolutionised treatment. For this reason, Hepatitis NSW, in partnership with NSW Users and the AIDS Association (NUAA) have developed a campaign to raise awareness of Hep C cures. Just think, with a cure rate of 95 percent in just 8 to 12 weeks, we have the potential to
eradicate this disease, if only we all get tested and treated. Curing your hep C means you don’t have to worry about passing it on to your partner or friends. You can party hard in the knowledge that you can’t pass hep C on as it’s completely cleared from your body. So, while the coronavirus continues to wreak havoc on our lives, we have a unique opportunity to stamp out another virus.
I felt better in ways I hadn’t realised had anything to do with my liver. Take the first step to cure your hep C and book an STI check-up or hep C test and, if necessary, get treated. You can get treated as many times as you need.
MORE: For more on Hepatitis C and its cure, call the Hepatitis NSW Infoline on 1800 803 990 or visit the campaign website hepc.org.au
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