Eradication of Ireland’s hepatitis C by 2030 will be a challenge, according to charities that help people living with the virus.
The Hepatitis C Partnership said access to treatment across the country remains “regionally inconsistent” for thousands of patients.
A charity focused on providing care for people suffering from liver disease presented this information to the World Hepatitis Summit on Thursday.
We have also created a roadmap that Ireland should follow to eradicate hepatitis C by the 2030 target year.
The roadmap includes feedback from people across Ireland, hospital consultants, nurses, colleagues, and general practitioners who have experience in treating hepatitis C.
Partnership secretary Nicola Perry said treatment options have improved significantly over the last decade and high efficacy rates are now available.
“In Ireland, we are fortunate to have both a policy focused on hepatitis C through the National Treatment Program and many dedicated professionals who provide excellent care across the country,” she said. ..
“Although tremendous work has been done so far, achieving the exclusion target by 2030 is still a challenge, which is what we bring together and promote.
“It is to build on the success that Ireland has achieved so far and to have a clear focus on exclusion.
“As one person told us during the consultation,’it’s curable and feasible’. I think it applies at both the individual and national levels. Great people working on hepatitis C in Ireland. Elimination is what we can achieve. “
Last week, the Oireachtas Commission heard that Ireland faces challenges in achieving its WHO exclusion goals.
Dublin GP Austin O’Carroll told the Commission that “there is a large black area underneath a country where you do not have access to treatment.”
As part of the roadmap, extensive research has shown that only 20% of patients have easy access to treatment outside of Dublin.
The Commission heard in Ireland each year that up to 700 people had hepatitis C. So, as many as 30,000 people live with the virus here, and thousands are unaware that they are infected with the virus.
Pharmacist and advocate Kate O’Connell said five of Ireland’s eight hospitals offering hepatitis C specialty care are in Dublin.
“It puts a heavy burden on patients across the country who are really working hard to access treatments,” O’Connell said.
“This could be the government’s smoking cessation. If the path to care is properly addressed, the virus and the pain associated with carrying it can easily be eliminated,” she adds. I did.
