Viral Hepatitis Strategy for Plymouth

"This Strategy was initiated by the Plymouth Drug & Alcohol Action Team as a response to its growing concern of hepatitis C in the community, particularly in the injecting drug user population of Plymouth. The strategy also covers hepatitis A and B, noting details of the viruses and the cityʼs responses to them.

Hepatitis C is now recognised as an important health problem world-wide and the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that up to 170 million people are chronically infected.

In the UK, the number of people infected with hepatitis C is estimated to be around 250,000, (approx. 0.5% of the population) the majority of whom are currently unaware of their infection.

Up to the end of 2001, a cumulative total of around 26,500 infections had been reported in England the majority of reports were in the 25 to 44 year age group and more than twice as many reports were in males as in females.

By the end of 2002 there had been around 50,000 reported laboratory diagnoses of hepatitis C in the United Kingdom"