The results of the public investigation into the contaminated blood scandal, dubbed the largest treatment mishap in NHS history, have been published.
Between 1970 and 1991, tainted blood products and transfusions resulted in the infection of over 30,000 individuals with hepatitis C and HIV. More than 3,000 of them have since died.
Many of them were haemophiliacs receiving contaminated blood products as part of their medical care.
Following the Infected Blood Inquiry, which collected testimony between 2019 and 2023, Chairman Sir Brian Langstaff presented his conclusions. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is also expected to issue an apology today.
However, Ros Cooper, who was infected with hepatitis C after treatment for a bleeding disorder as a child, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that an apology from the government “won’t bring back the dead”.
What is hepatitis C and its symptoms?
According to the NHS, Hepatitis C is a virus that can affect the liver. Over many years, it can occasionally result in significant liver damage that might be fatal if left untreated.
Some hepatitis C patients may get liver scarring (cirrhosis) if the illness is not treated for many years. This could eventually lead to the liver's malfunction. Severe circumstances may eventually lead to potentially fatal issues including liver cancer or liver failure, in which the liver loses most or all of its functions.
In the UK, the anticipated amount of patients with chronic hepatitis C in 2019 was 118,000.
It is common for hepatitis C to show no signs until the liver has suffered severe damage.
Thus, a large number of people get infected without even being aware of it.
When symptoms do appear, they may be misdiagnosed as something else.Some of the symptoms that may be visible include symptoms similar to the flu, such as body aches, a high body temperature (fever), constant fatigue, appetite loss, and nausea.
Testing is the only way to determine with certainty if hepatitis C is the source of these symptoms.
How are people infected with hepatitis C?
If you come into contact with an infected person's blood, you could contract the infection.
Injecting drug users or those who have injected drugs in the past are the main source of hepatitis C infections in the UK.It is estimated that approximately 50 per cent of drug injectors have the virus.
Some other ways you can be infected with hepatitis C include sharing unsterilised needles, sharing razors or toothbrushes, from a pregnant woman to her unborn baby and through unprotected sex.
How to get tested for hepatitis C?
You can find out if you have the infection by having a blood test.You can determine whether you have hepatitis C at home with a finger-prick test.Hepatitis C testing is also provided by GPs, sexual health clinics, genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics, and drug treatment programmes.
How is hepatitis C treated?
Medication for hepatitis C can prevent the virus from growing within the body. Usually, you have to take them for a few weeks.Patients can be given ribavirin (a pill or capsule) and pegylated interferon (a weekly injection).
Another alternative is taking daclatasvir and sofosbuvir tablets.
It has been discovered that these novel hepatitis C medications shorten treatment durations, improve treatment efficacy, and are simpler to tolerate.More than 90 per cent of hepatitis C patients may be cured with the most recent treatments.You should, however, take precautions to lessen your chance of contracting the virus again because you won't be immune to it.
Is there a cure?
Most people with the infection will have a normal life expectancy, and direct-acting antiviral medicines can usually cure the virus.
