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Over 600 Volunteer for Hepatitis C Test

DUBAI - Over 600 people have volunteered for blood tests to assess if they have Hepatitis C as part of a UAE-wide campaign launched last month.

The C WATCHER campaign will ascertain the risk factors through tests. Only test results of those who volunteer will be revealed.

“There are three tests done to confirm if a person is suffering from Hepatitis C,” said Sherief Rizk, business unit director at Hoffmann-La Roche, UAE.

The two final tests require a time gap between the tests, said Rizk.

The company is running the campaign in coordination with the Emirates Gastroenterology Society in the UAE. The Hepatitis C virus is transmitted primarily through blood or blood products. HCV chronically affects 180 million people worldwide, which makes it over four times more prevalent than HIV, according to the WHO.

It is a leading cause of cirrhosis, liver cancer and liver failure, despite the fact that many patients can be cured.

Hepatitis C is an infectious disease transmitted through infected blood.

It damages the liver over a period of time and in some cases many of the infected persons may not be aware of the fact they are carriers until permanent damage has been done.

However, the UAE Ministry of Health has put on hold the decision to make the disease deportable by law despite recently changing its medical testing procedures for issuing work/residency permits. People can get tested for free at partner laboratories and assess whether they fall within the disease’s risk factors.

“Those who test positive for the disease will be given supported treatment,” added Rizk.

About 180 million people worldwide are infected with Hepatitis C and is a potentially serious condition if left untreated and can kill over a course of 
20 years.

The campaign will run for a year and awareness activities will include booklet distributions in medical institutions and main public areas. Queries can be made on the toll-free number 8004038, the healthcare professional’s CME programmes and the fund raising activities.

asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com

Are you at risk?

υ Did you receive blood transfusion before 1992?

υ Have you ever received haemodialysis?

υ Do you have tattoos or body piercing done on you?

υ Have you shared items that might have had blood on them, such as razors, nail clippers, scissors, toothbrush?

υ Is your sex partner or any other household member Hepatitis C positive?

υ Have you ever had any sexually transmitted diseases?

υ Have you had any contact with blood at your workplace, especially if you are (or were) a healthcare worker, police officer or firefighter?

υ Did your mother have Hepatitis C when you were born?