CURE ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT TREATMENT SIDE EFFECTS? MOST PEOPLE HAVE VERY FEW PROBLEMS WITH THE HEP C CURES.
n Curing hep C is easy. n You can live hep C free. n Get started on your cure. A cure for hep C is available to all adults in Australia with a Medicare number.
Don’t wait until your liver becomes sick, you can start treatment while in prison.
For more hepatitis advice, information and posted info packs, call:
THE NEW CURES n 95% successful cures. n Few or no side effects. n Taken as tablets for 8 or 12 weeks. (If you have liver disease or cirrhosis this may be longer.)
HEPATITIS INFOLINE
Most NSW prisons have Health Centres where you can start hep C treatment. Talk to the nurse about getting cured - it’s confidential. n If you’re already on hep C treatment tell the nurse right away - don’t miss a dose. n If your sentence is less than 12 weeks the nurse might not start treatment - BUT treatment outside is usuall easy and cheap to get from a clinic or doctor (1800 803 990).
HEP C CURE IS EASY!
FREE CALL FROM PRISON n ENTER MIN n ENTER PIN n PRESS 2 (COMMON CALLS) n PRESS 3 (HEPATITIS INFOLINE) Hep C is a virus that can damage your liver and make you very sick. Hepatitis NSW is a non-profit health promotion charity funded by the NSW Ministry of Health. HNSW is proud to acknowledge Aboriginal people as the traditional owners and custodians of our lands and waters. Printed November 2019
One third of people in prison have hep C. While you’re in prison you can... reduce your risk... get tested... be cured and live hep C free!
TEST
PREVENT
n Used properly, FINCOL kills hep C. n FINCOL machines are in all NSW prisons. n Use FINCOL to clean equipment.
Hep C is passed on through ‘blood to blood’ contact. This happens when blood from someone who has hep C gets into the bloodstream of another person. Even if you can’t see the blood it can still pass on hep C.
If you’ve ever had blood-to-blood contact (like sharing injecting equipment, getting home/prison tattoos, physical fights, body piercing) you may have picked up hep C. Even if you can’t see the blood, just once is enough to get hep C. You can’t tell if someone has hep C just by looking at them. There are no signs when you first get hep C.
The most common way to get hep C is by sharing any equipment used to inject drugs, to get a tattoo or have a body piercing.
To find out if you have hep C you may need two blood tests: n Antibody blood test: shows if you have ever come into contact with the hep C virus. If this result is positive you’ll need the PCR test.
Don’t risk it, don’t share fits, swabs, spoons, tourniquets, water, or filters.
INTERFERON IS GONE – IT IS NO LONGER USED FOR HEP C TREATMENT. BIOPSIES ARE NO LONGER USED IN HEP C TREATMENT.
Avoid blood to blood contact. Use your own equipment or use FINCOL to clean shared equipment. n Flush fit with fresh, cold tap water 3 times n Soak fit in activated FINCOL for 5 mins. (Fill the barrel, pull the fit apart and soak for 5 mins, if you can, OR fill barrel with FINCOL and shake fit for 30 secs) n Flush fit with fresh, cold tap water 3 times
n Could you have hep C? n Ever share injecting equipment or had a prison tattoo? n Get tested... know your status.
IF YOU GET HEP C AGAIN, DON’T WORRY. YOU CAN BE TREATED AGAIN!
n PCR blood test: shows you if have the hep C virus now. The great news is there is a cure for hep C. Ask the nurse for a test or fill out the blue self-referral form to get a test. It’s confidential.