HSE on track to reach Hepatitis C elimination target for 2030

The World Health Organisation (WHO) set a target to eliminate 80pc of hepatitis C on 2015 levels by 2030.

An estimated 3,500 to 5,000 people in Ireland are unknowingly living with the condition. It can be dormant in those who are infected for years or decades and can shorten life expectancy by up to 15 years.

More than 5,500 free home tests for the virus have been ordered since the service was launched a year ago.

“I am delighted with the take up of the HSE hepatitis C home testing service,” clinical lead for the HSE national hepatitis C treatment programme Professor Aiden McCormick said.

“It provides a discreet and confidential service for users, leading to quick diagnosis and intervention for those who have a positive test result.

“It’s providing increased opportunities for diagnosis and treatment.”

A blood-borne virus, hepatitis C infects the liver and can lead to serious or life-threatening damage if left untreated. The virus can lead to cirrhosis, liver failure and cancer.

Hepatitis C often has no symptoms and the only way to detect the virus is to get tested. Someone can become infected by blood-to-blood contact with a person who has the condition.

Risk factors include unprotected sex with an infected person, sharing needles and blood and organ donations carried out before 1992.

The HSE’s hepatitis C treatment programme has treated more than 7,000 people, 95pc of whom have been cured.

The provision of home testing has removed barriers including embarrassment, cost and time needed to travel to a face-to-face service. Anyone diagnosed with hepatitis C is fast-tracked for treatment and a cure.

Home testing is particularly aimed at people who are otherwise well but may have been exposed to hepatitis C in the past.

Treatment for the virus is free from the HSE. More than 95pc are cured in eight to 12 weeks. The free home test involves a finger prick and a blood sample being dropped in a test tube.

The sample is then placed in a test tube and posted to a lab for analysis. People in need of follow-up treatment are contacted and referred to a clinic or hospital.

Feedback from users of the service has described it as “fantastic” and results are received within days.