It's hip to have a hep check

Hep C causes inflammation of the liver and if left untreated, can lead to chronic disease.

But the good news is there is a cure for hep C, so it’s important to see your doctor if you’re experiencing any symptoms or think you might have contracted hep C.

So, what is hep C and how is it contracted?

Could you have hep C right now without even knowing it?

And most importantly, if you have hep C, how do you access new curative treatments and how long does treatment take?

Help is here, and we’ve got the answers.

What is hepatitis C?

There are five strains of hepatitis, known as hepatitis A, B, C, D and E.

These five different strains can cause any of the following symptoms:

• Stomach pain
• Vomiting
• Tiredness or weakness
• Dark urine
• Jaundice (yellow skin and eyes)
• Nausea
• Abdominal pain or swelling

An acute case of hep C can cause inflammation of the liver, leading to jaundice, dark urine, nausea, tiredness and a painful liver on the right side of your abdomen.

Those who develop chronic hep C infection are at risk of cirrhosis (permanent damage to the liver), hepatocellular carcinoma (the most common type of liver cancer) and liver failure.

What does hep C do to my body?

Hep C can cause the liver to get inflamed and can lead to liver failure if left untreated over a period of decades.

Your liver is an essential organ that performs a range of functions that help your body to do what it needs to, including:

• acting as a filter for your body, helping to convert food into the nutrients you need
• helping in the production of bile, and bile salts, which aid in digestion, and the absorption of fats
• storing vitamins and breaking down various drugs and chemicals that could be harmful to your body
• playing an important role in your body’s metabolism, which is the whole chemical process that converts food and drink into energy, allowing your body to grow, repair itself, and simply function how you want it to.

This is why it’s so important to seek medical advice if you think you might have hep C to access treatment, and get checked if you may be at risk of contracting hep C.

How do you become infected with hep C?

You can contract hep C through:

• re-using or sharing drug injecting equipment including needles and syringes, spoons, mixing water and tourniquets
• sharing tattooing or piercing equipment
• sharing personal hygiene equipment, such as razors or toothbrushes with someone who has the virus.

Unlike COVID or the flu, you don’t have to worry about getting hepatitis if someone coughs on you on the train or bus… even though that’s still gross.

So don’t worry, you can’t contract hep C through social contact, or sharing things like cutlery, crockery, or by using public showers or toilets.

However, if you have ever injected drugs or are currently injecting, you may have been exposed to hep C, so it is important you take the time to get checked.

Many symptoms of hep C often go unnoticed or may not happen for some time following infection.

Can I get vaccinated against hep C?

There is currently no vaccination for hep C, however there is curative treatment which can rid your body of the virus.

Being aware of how hep C is transmitted can prevent you from being re-infected in the future.

How can I get tested for hep C?
Are you worried you may have the virus?  Don’t worry, there is no need to panic.

First things first.

If you are concerned and think you may have hep C, we encourage you to make an appointment with your GP or go to see your local community health service.

Your doctor or nurse practitioner can help arrange a simple blood test to confirm if you have hepatitis. Some services have access to fingerprick testing for hep C which means that if taking bloods is something that is tricky for you, there might be other alternatives , such as finger prick tests.

Better safe than sorry, right?

You don’t need to give reasons about why you want a test for hep C. You can just say you might have had a possible risk in the past and would like a test. Services offering testing these days won’t judge you and they can provide the care you need.

You will need two blood tests for hep C, firstly the antibody test which shows whether or not you have ever been exposed to the hep C virus –­­ if this is negative you do not have hep C and don’t require any further testing.

If your antibody test is positive, you will require a further test called an RNA test which shows if there is active hep C in your blood. If this test is negative, it means your body has naturally cleared the virus and you don’t have hep C. If it is positive, you do have active hep C infection and can access treatment.

These two tests can be ordered together so you get all of the information about your hep C status at once.

Something to remember is that if you have ever been exposed to the hep C virus you will be antibody positive for the rest of your life – but that doesn’t mean that you still have hep C.

You can clear the virus naturally or with treatment and if your RNA test for the virus is negative, you no longer have an active infection.

Hep C was a chronic disease but it’s now curable

The most hip news about hep is there is a cure for hep C!

There are simple and effective treatments for hep C known as direct-acting antivirals (commonly called DAAs). These tablet-based treatments have been available on the Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme since March 2016.

It usually takes two to three months of treatment, and then you are clear of the virus.

Your doctor or nurse practitioner can provide you with a script which you can fill at any community pharmacy.

The government subsidises the cost of these treatments, so it will be $7.70 per month of treatment if you have a concession card, and just over $25 a month if you don’t.

Some community hep C testing services (including Hepatitis Queensland, Queensland Injectors Health Network, the Kombi Clinic, Needle and Syringe programs and Drug and Alcohol services) will cover the full cost of these medications so ask at your local clinic if cost is a barrier.

Want to know more?

Find more here about: Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Hepatitis D and Hepatitis E.

If you are concerned about having hepatitis, see your GP or call 13 HEALTH (13 43 25 84) which is available 24 hrs a day 7 days a week.

As always, if it is an emergency, call Triple Zero (000).