A new survey has found that most Queenslanders do not know that hepatitis B and C can cause cancer, or that medical treatment is available.
The survey released at the beginning of National Hepatitis Awareness Week 17-23 May reveals that 65 per cent of Queenslanders do not know that the hepatitis B and C viruses can cause cancer. It also finds that 53 per cent do not know that effective hepatitis B treatment is available, and 82 per cent are not aware that hepatitis C can be treated and cured.
The Hepatitis Council of Queensland estimates that up to 90 per cent of the 371,700 Australians currently living with chronic hepatitis B or C have never received treatment. In Queensland, there are almost 4,000 new diagnoses of hepatitis B or C each year.
Hepatitis B and C are transmitted by blood-to-blood contact, and hepatitis B is also sexually transmitted and can be transmitted at birth. However, more than half of people surveyed cannot correctly identify how the viruses are transmitted and do not know about symptoms.
Clint Ferndale, CEO of the Hepatitis Council of Queensland, says the statistics are alarming.
“Unmanaged or untreated, hepatitis B or C can lead to severe liver disease and liver cancer. Globally 1.5 million people die every year from these viruses and they are the top two indications for liver transplant in Australia,” he said.
“Australia is now on the brink of a viral hepatitis crisis. The mortality, morbidity, and health care costs are astronomical.
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