NSW Health has unveiled a plan to eliminate hepatitis C as a public health concern by 2028.
In a statement, the Department said hepatitis C was a virus that affected the liver and was transmitted through blood to blood contact.
It said more than 95 per cent of people with the virus could be cured through tablets taken by mouth but without treatment, people with hepatitis C could develop serious liver disease.
Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said the Department’s new NSW Hepatitis C Strategy 2022 – 2025 was centred on prevention, testing, treatment, and addressing stigma and discrimination associated with the disease.
“The Strategy aims to reduce hepatitis C infections by 60 per cent, decrease the number of deaths linked to hepatitis C, remove the stigma linked to the virus and increase testing and treatment,” Dr Chant said.
“More than seven in 10 people living with hepatitis C in Australia have reported experiencing stigma and discrimination, which can be a major barrier to receiving treatment,” she said.
“The Strategy addresses this through reducing structural barriers, increasing education, and strengthening the peer workforce to support those in the community with hepatitis C through care.”
Dr Chant said that between 2016 and 2020, more than 30,700 people began treatment for hepatitis C in NSW.
The Chief Health Officer said the Strategy prioritised improving access to testing and treatment as well as access to services for people in regional and remote areas.
She said that under the Strategy, NSW Health would create a workforce with lived experience of hepatitis C, to offer support and education in the community.
Dr Chant said enhancing the collection and analysis of hepatitis C data would also be prioritised under the Strategy.
NSW Health’s 22-page Strategy can be accessed at this PS News link.
