THE GOOD NEWS ON HEP C
There is a cure, and it means that with testing and treatment, we can eradicate this virus. James Andrews reports.
There’s a cure!
Cast your mind back to your last STI test: that awkward moment in the waiting room, the slight hit of adrenaline when your name was called, the subsequent surge of adrenaline when you saw the size of the needle, all capped with a warm sigh of relief when it was finally over. Somewhere in the middle of all of this, among the embarrassing small talk about your number of sexual partners, you were likely asked about your Hepatitis C status and whether you’d had your Hep B vaccinations (which are free for gay men).
Though it’s often excluded from our “normal” lists of STIs, 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 be transmitted through unprotected sex.
Once in our system, the virus is quite pernicious. It sets about attacking the liver, potentially causing serious and life-threatening damage to it over the course of many years. Infection is not often accompanied by any noticeable symptoms until the liver has undergone significant damage. For this reason, many of the estimated 130,000 Australians currently living with Hepatitis C are unlikely to be aware they have the virus.
Previously, treatment was a rather grim affair: a course of daily pills and a weekly injection. This therapy frequently caused a whole host of adverse effects such as fatigue, fever, headaches, muscle pain, nausea and depression. Some of these side effects were so bad that many patients decided to discontinue with treatment.
Thankfully, this has changed with the introduction of a new form of treatment: directacting antivirals (DAAs). DAAs are a type of drug that works to directly attack the hepatitis virus and stop it from reproducing. Taken in the form of daily pills, DAAs are able to cure about 95 per cent of infections with little to no adverse side effects. Furthermore, most people are cured in just 8 to 12 weeks.
As explained by someone who recently 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.”
DAAs have completely revolutionised Hepatitis C treatment. For this reason, Hepatitis NSW, NSW Users and AIDS Association (NUAA) have all placed DAAs at the centre of this year’s Hepatitis C campaign. They are collectively hoping to raise awareness of both Hep C and this new treatment.
Research suggests that many people living with Hepatitis C haven’t come forward to be tested or treated due to a lack of information and misconceptions. Some people believe they can’t get it because they don’t inject drugs, while others believe they can’t have it because they aren’t showing symptoms. Worse still, some believe it cannot be cured, while others still might not even realise what Hep C is.
With this revolutionary new treatment, healthcare providers are hoping to stamp out Hep C once and for all. Just think, with a cure rate of 95 per cent in just 8 to 12 weeks, DAAs have the potential to nearly eradicate this disease, if only we all get tested and treated.
So, while the coronavirus continues to wreak havoc on our lives, we have a unique opportunity to potentially stamp out another virus. Book in for a check-up, get tested and, if necessary, get treated. There’s never been a better or easier time.
DAAs are able to cure about 95 per
cent of infections with little to no adverse side effects.