Hepatitis
(asked on 18th November 2016) - View Source
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the World Health Organisation's Global Health Sector Strategy on Viral Hepatitis, whether he plans to produce a national strategy for the elimination of hepatitis C by 2030.
The United Kingdom has a comprehensive surveillance system in place combining laboratory diagnoses data, risk/behaviour data, outcome data, statistical modelling and service evaluation to monitor the cascade of care, detect outbreaks, and generate burden estimates. The UK already has a comprehensive national programme of screening of blood donors and blood transfusions for blood-borne viruses, including hepatitis C, to ensure safe supplies – 100% of blood donors are screened with quality assured methods. There is national guidance and legislation around infection control in healthcare settings including a policy for healthcare workers to prevent nosocomial transmission of blood-borne viruses. Prevention efforts in minimising harm in people who inject drugs is focused on access to opiate substitution therapies and needle syringe exchange programmes, and disinfection tablets in prisons.
Public Health England has published hepatitis C metrics for the report “Hepatitis C in the UK 2016 report - Working towards its elimination as a major public health threat”. The report is available at the link below: