Free testing for hepatitis C starts at pharmacies in South Auckland

Health NZ (Counties Manukau) has started offering free hepatitis C testing at pharmacies in south Auckland.

The blood-borne disease is the main reason why New Zealanders need liver transplants, as well as a major source of liver cancer.

The campaign focuses on people who have shared needles through piercings, tattoos, or intravenous drug use. Other risk groups include anyone who received medical treatment before 1992 in a high-risk country — including parts of Asia, Africa, or Eastern Europe — or a blood infusion.

According to the Ministry of Health, 50%-60% of people with the disease remain undiagnosed. If left unchecked, those with the condition will develop cirrhosis of the liver, which can lead to life-threatening liver cancer.

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Hazel Heal is a patient advocate Hep C Action Aotearoato raise awareness about the disease she was diagnosed with in 1992. She welcomed the new campaign in South Auckland and said anything that can raise awareness about the debilitating disease is a good thing.

“You often don’t know until you’re really sick, but it’s often too late,” Heal said. “I found out I had hepatitis C when I was pregnant. Apparently I had it for a number of years, but then it was a terrible shock.”

She said she suffered from fatigue and psoriasis as well as other health problems, but didn’t associate the symptoms with… hepatitis C† Heal said she never determined how she contracted it.

There was no treatment for the disease in New Zealand at the time, but in the late 1990s she became one of the first people in the country to undergo a new treatment for hepatitis C.

But it didn’t cure the disease, and in 2015, she was told she would likely need a liver transplant, or pay $250,000 for drugs to avoid the surgery. In 2016, Heal managed to obtain generic versions of the unfunded drugs through an Australian organization called FixHepC and cured herself of the condition.

Heal said the new South Auckland campaign is important not only to test those who have it, but also to raise public awareness.

She said that because testing is free, it will give people peace of mind and if they have it, they can get the latest treatments available.

Melissa Bentley, Health NZ (Counties Manukau) project manager for pharmacy services said it is important that people get treatment and getting a test is the first step.

“People who find out they have hep C are often relieved to know the reason for their fatigue or the symptom they experienced and didn’t know why,” she said.

“The good news is that hep C is now easily cured. The new drug is a short course of eight weeks of tablets that is highly effective and well tolerated.”

Health NZ estimates that at least 3,500 people in south Auckland have the disease.

“We want to find out who has hepatitis C and cure them. It could save their lives,” said a spokesperson.