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Doctors at a Bradford surgery are raising awareness of hepatitis C this week.
Known as the silent killer, people can live with the disease
undiagnosed and without symptoms for years. Experts believe only one in
eight people affected knows.
Starting today, the first World Hepatitis Day, doctors at Rooley
Lane Medical Centre in Bierley will be handing patients a quick set of
questions to see if they are at risk.
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It is estimated that there are as many as 466,000 people living with
hepatitis C in England, but fewer than 70,000 have been diagnosed. One
in 12 people are infected with hepatitis B or C worldwide. World
Hepatitis Day is a chance for medical professionals in more than 50
countries to draw people's attention to these shocking facts.
Charles Gore, chief executive of The Hepatitis C Trust, said: "I
fully support and applaud these GPs who are among the first in the
country to take a pro-active approach to hepatitis C.
"GPs are at the front line and their involvement is crucial in helping people to understand this often-ignored disease.
"The lack of awareness about viral hepatitis in the UK and abroad is causing huge numbers of preventable deaths."
http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk
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