Welcome to the website of the Greater Manchester Hepatitis C Strategy

This site will tell you all you need to know about hepatitis C – whether you are a patient, carer/relative or work in the medical profession – what work is being done to improve hepatitis C services in Greater Manchester and what support is out there.

Our needs assessment carried out in 2009  shows that there are up to 15,000 people with chronic hepatitis C across Greater Manchester. As the virus often produces no symptoms, unfortunately most of these people won’t even know that they have the disease.

You can contract hepatitis C in the following ways:

• By sharing equipment for injecting drugs, event if you only did this once or twice or a long time ago. Needles and syringes are the greatest risk, but other drug injecting equipment (such as spoons, filters or water) could also carry infection if they are contaminated with blood from someone who has the virus.

• Through a blood transfusion (before September 1991), or blood products like clotting factors (before 1986). All blood in the UK is now screened for hepatitis C

• During medical and dental treatment abroad in countries where hepatitis C is common and where equipment may not be sterilised properly (list the continents)

• Shaving with non-sterile equipment, especially abroad in countries where hepatitis C is common

• From a mother with hepatitis C to her baby

• Through unprotected sex (without a condom) with someone who has the virus

• By having a tattoo, ear or body piercing or acupuncture with equipment that is not sterile

• By sharing razors or toothbrushes which have been contaminated with blood from someone who has the virus

• Intra-nasal – ie snorting drugs through a straw 

   

   

A simple test can put your mind at rest if you think you may have put yourself at risk. If you do test positive for the virus there is treatment that can clear the virus.

The sooner you get tested and start treatment, the better the outcome.