Nurses mark World Hepatitis Awareness Day

Two nurses from Derriford Hospital marked this year’s World Hepatitis Day by manning a stand in the main concourse to raise awareness of viral hepatitis and to encourage prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

On Monday 28 July, Laura Fice, a viral hepatitis nurse and Lynsey O’Para, a blood borne virus nurse, were on hand in the main reception of Derriford to raise awareness of this and provide support, advice and guidance to staff, patients and members of the public.

Laura said: “We are here to raise awareness of viral hepatitis. We want to reduce the stigma and increase testing that will, in turn, lead to treatment and a reduction in risk to others from a health protection perspective. The earlier someone is diagnosed as having hepatitis, the sooner we can consider patients treatment.

“There are more and more effective treatments becoming available that have less side effects and are less of a pill burden.  Screening of liver disease is becoming easier for both the patient and clinicians with the use of a fibroscanner. This scan is non-invasive and can assess the degree of liver disease in patients within minutes rather than every patient needing a liver biopsy.”

Derriford cares for patients from first diagnosis and throughout their treatment. Derriford Hospital is home to a research centre for Hepatitis and has a significant clinical trials programme that ensures patients have access to the most effective new treatments.

Hepatitis is a term used to describe inflammation of the liver. It is most often caused by one of several viruses, which is why it is usually called viral hepatitis.

Approximately 1 in 12 people worldwide are living with either Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C. If left untreated, it can lead to liver failure or liver cancer, which can both be fatal.