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Hepatitis C, HCV or Hep-C is
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a blood-borne virus
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which causes chronic liver disease
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for some people,
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this may lead to cirrhosis
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and in some liver failure
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or liver cancer.
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Hep-C is caught through exposure
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to contaminated blood,
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we have extremely effective
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tablet treatments for hepatitis C
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with very few side effects
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that clear the virus
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in 95% of people who take them.
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Treatment
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is generally well-tolerated
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with very few side effects.
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Some people experience headache, nausea
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and difficulty sleeping,
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but these should settle down
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quite quickly.
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We treat the virus
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using direct acting antiviral tablets.
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These act directly
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against the virus
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and stop it replicating.
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Most treatment
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courses are one tablet
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once a day for 8 to 12 weeks.
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if treatment is not effective,
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there are other options
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and we can try different
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combinations of drugs
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and different course lengths.
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So the van goes to a
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wide range of venues,
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we like to be accessible to everybody,
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basically anywhere
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there's large groups of people,
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we like to take the van.
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So we have a number of tests
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available on the van that we can use.
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The first two screening tests,
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we have Matrix,
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which is a finger-prick test
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with a result in 10 minutes.
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And then we have
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OraQuick test,
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which is an oral swab,
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just goes around the gum,
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you get a result from that in 30 minutes.
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We have blood taking equipment
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where we can get a really good
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view of the
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liver health in general,
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and we also are really lucky on our van,
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we have a Cepheid machine,
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this is again
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a finger-prick test
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and the result comes back
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from that in an hour,
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so we are then able to know
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does that person actually need treatment?
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Treatment
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is available at Cambridge
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University Hospital,
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also in local
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drug and alcohol centres
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around the region.
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Patients will attend clinic
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every four weeks to collect
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further medication
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and have a blood test to check
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that the treatment is effective.
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Patients will be seen
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at an initial consultation
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to have bloods taken, and a FibroScan.
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A FibroScan is a simple ultrasound
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that assesses
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for any liver scarring
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resulting from hepatitis C.
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A further blood test is done
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at the end of treatment
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and then the patient
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is invited to come back
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12 weeks post-treatment
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for a final blood test
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to check
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that the treatment has been successful.
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We offer our patients ongoing support,
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this could be anything from transport
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- they might need help
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to their first clinic appointment.
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People are offered
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a telephone appointment,
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so I'll be calling people
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and remind them of that appointment.
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Then I’ll talk about the treatment
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and what that pathway would look like.
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I’ll be discussing
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reinfection rates,
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what to expect at their appointment.
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And also we may signpost them
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to other services
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to help them along that journey.
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A lot of our staff have shared
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Hep-C experience
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so we can kind of help dispel fears
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through them knowing
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people I talk to about Hep-C.
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Sometimes that can be the key,
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that'll open the door for
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someone accessing treatment.
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We're really proud to
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work collaboratively
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with other services,
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such as the vaccination outreach team,
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Drug and Alcohol Services,
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the TB outreach team, and sexual health.
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We've also worked in mosques
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and will be at some of the Pride events.
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We've got a really busy time
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coming up with events
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and if you see us out and about,
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come and say hello.