Residents in south China's Guangdong
Province now have access to low-cost tests for the hepatitis C
virus at about 100 hospitals with the beginning of a program on
hepatitis C control Tuesday.
The goal of the program, which will run through December 18, is
to discover the estimated 1 million hepatitis C patients in the
province and provide them with timely treatment, said Hou Jinlin,
an expert on infectious diseases and one of the major initiators of
the program.
In most hospitals, the initial check-up costs 20 yuan, and those
with a positive test will be diagnosed free of charge. The
hospitals will also offer collective treatment to the diagnosed
patients.
The hepatitis C virus, discovered in 1989, may cause viral
hepatitis like the hepatitis B virus, but it is much harder to
detect. Hepatitis C virus carriers may not feel any symptoms for as
long as 20 years after they become infected before developing
hepatocirrhosis or even liver cancer.
It is estimated that there are about 40 million people infected
by the hepatitis C virus in China with about 1 million living in
Guangdong. However, only a few people go to hospitals because they
are ignorant of the infection, and hepatitis C is not a routine
item in normal check-up.
The only way to prevent hepatitis C is early discovery and early
treatment because a vaccine has not been developed yet, Hu said,
suggesting that those who used to engage in high-risk activities
should have medical check-up as early as possible.
He listed the following conditions as high-risk: blood
transfusion, medical operation, drug taking, unsafe sex, tattoos,
using the razor or toothbrush of a hepatitis C patient, and
abnormal liver function for no clear reason.
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(China Daily November 25, 2004)