An “extraordinary” team within a North Lincolnshire charity has helped the organisation to officially achieve the micro-elimination of hepatitis C amid the NHS target of completely eliminating the virus by 2025.
The alcohol, drug and mental health charity WithYou – based on Scunthorpe High Street – has announced its incredible feat at micro-eliminating the blood-borne virus, which affects the liver and can lead to chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, cancer and even death.
With all their clients in structured treatment offered a hepatitis C test and those with a history of injecting being tested, as well as 90 percent of service users who currently inject or have previously injected having had a hepatitis C test within the last 12 months, the charity has committed to achieving micro-elimination of the virus in the area. 90 percent of clients who have tested positive for hepatitis have also commenced or completed treatment.
READ MORE:
Around 5.8 million people live with chronic hepatitis C around the globe, with 1.5 million new yearly infections reported. NHS England has set out to completely eliminate hepatitis C by 2025, and WithYou has made a huge leap in helping to achieve this target.
Emma Lamond, Director of Integrated Treatment at WithYou, said: “As an organisation, we are committed to and passionate about eliminating hepatitis C and supporting NHS England and partners to achieve and sustain our shared ambition. We recognise that clients may not always disclose their past injecting history or other risk factors; that’s why we want to challenge the stigma that surrounds hepatitis. Through these interventions, we have an opportunity to bust those myths, raise awareness, and empower people to stay safe and make informed decisions.
(Image: Shared Content Unit)
“I would like to thank the North Lincolnshire team who have achieved micro-elimination; the impact they’ve had is extraordinary. Their hard work means our service users have a greater chance of receiving timely, appropriate treatment and ultimately have the opportunity to get better.”
Jimmy, a client from WithYou in North Lincolnshire treated for hepatitis C, said: “I got hep C in the early 90s and there was no cure. I first heard there was a cure about 15 years later but the rumour was the treatment was nasty, painful and complicated. But roll on ten years, my WithYou recovery worker told me the new treatment was a lot better with hardly any side effects.
“It was one tablet a day for about three months I think so I decided to get treated and just three months later I got tested it was all clear. I had no side effects and I went around town with The Hep C Trust to pass the word to other people and urged them to get treated.”
Kate House, Head of Service Delivery for WithYou in North Lincolnshire, said: “This has been a real team effort, everyone in the service has been involved in achieving this and actively encouraging clients to get tested and treated.
“We have also worked closely with The Hep C Trust and Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. We wouldn’t have achieved this without these partnerships. I’m also really proud of the clients for their bravery in coming forward for testing and working with us when treatment has been recommended.”
Emma added: “On behalf of WithYou I would also like to share our appreciation for all our BBV-commissioned service staff for their ongoing dedication, and to partners for their continued collaboration. We could not have reached this milestone without the joint working partnership* and the dedicated and passionate teams involved.
“There is of course still work to be done – we must continue our comprehensive testing programme to sustain micro-elimination status and strive towards complete elimination of hepatitis C going forward which includes strengthening our harm reduction provision and reaching more people.”
If you would like to learn more about With You’s work in micro-eliminating hepatitis C, click here.
You can contact the WithYou in North Lincolnshire service directly by calling 01724 857633 if you are worried about your alcohol or drug use.
Original artice: https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/all-about/scunthorpe
