December 12th, 2012
GP Online, a magazine for doctors, recently published an article about eradicating hepatitis C from cities highlighting research showing that targeting and treating a relatively small number of patients with hepatitis C could eliminate the disease in urban areas within the next decade.
Research carried out by Professor Graham Foster, professor of hepatology at Queen Mary’s University of London, highlighted computer simulations showing that small reductions in the number of drug users infected with the virus would lead to dramatic reductions in the rate at which it is transmitted.
Professor Foster said: “The bottom line is that you don’t need to treat very many. Ten per 1,000 or 40 per 1,000 will get rid of this virus in most populations.”
This is great news for the general population, but the mechanism of treatment that the research recommends could also be an important step in the evolution of treatment for the disease.
Professor Foster says that advancements in medication may be a step towards eradicating the disease. He stated that “we may be looking, in the next 18 months to two years at combination therapy, with only tablets for three months, with massive cure rates”.
This is potentially great news for people with the disease, but it is important to remember that until advancements in treatment can provide a cure for HCV it is vitally important to be aware of the symptoms of, and treatments for the disease. Click here to learn more about treatments or speak to a healthcare professional.
