Hepatitis C New Zealand  A dark and stormy night

Public Health Champion 2009 awarded by Public Health Association to Canterbury’s Cheryl Brunton

Dr Brunton’s work with hepatitis C began when she investigated an outbreak at Christchurch Prison in 1991. This led to an on-going interest in hepatitis C research and advocacy. She helped establish the Auckland and Christchurch Hep C support groups, was instrumental in founding the Christchurch Hepatitis C Resource Centre and was the inaugural chair of its trust board. She also took part in the development of the first national Hepatitis C Action plan.

“She continues to arrange conferences, workshops and training on Hep C, played a part in the establishment of the Hepatitis C community clinic in Christchurch, and is part of its advisory group.

I applaud any one working to improve things for people with Hepatitis C long my people care and make a difference, thanks Cheryl from everyone affected by Hepatitis  in New Zealand.

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE0909/S00025.htm

Prime minister with Hepatitis C

The Prime Minister of Mongolia S.Bayar is the first prime minister to publically announce their hepatitis C Status recently, Bayar was reported to have the viral infectious disease of Hepatitis C before he took office of prime minister. He said that the Prime Minister took a holiday of five working days only since he assumed office in November 2007. In Seoul, Lambaa said, Prime Minister Bayar is now receiving “interferon-based therapy”.

New issue Australian  Hep C  Review magazine available online a good read

The new issue of Australian Hep C magazine is available on line it has some interesting articles about hepatitis C but the one that caught my eye was a   article on drug trials for hepatitis c

Available here.

http://hepmagazines.realviewtechnologies.com/

C-een & Heard speakers program

Inviting a speaker to your agency or organisation provides an opportunity to:
•    Hear first hand personal experiences of people living with hepatitis C
•    Challenge the myths and stereotypes about hepatitis C
•    Address discriminatory attitudes in the workplace and elsewhere
•    Provide a holistic view of health (medical, social, personal)
•    Gain insight into the psychosocial issues associated with hepatitis C
•    Enhance existing training & education initiatives with personal perspectives

Maceon is a guy who lives in Sydney and is involved in community-based education and awareness raising in NSW, Australia. He features in a new DVD produced by the Hepatitis C Council of NSW. It contains stories from several different speakers and is used as a facilitation tool used when our Education and Development team conducts sessions outside the Sydney metropolitan region.

Interesting news story from America about the Hepatitis C hazards of the health care system,

Hep C nurse 20 years jail
Added: 28 September 2009
A former hospital surgical technician who may have infected dozens of surgical patients with hepatitis C by stealing their pain medication and swapping back needles tainted by the virus she carried pleaded guilty on Friday to US federal drug charges. Kristen Parker, 26, could have faced up to life in prison on the most serious charges, but accepted a 20-year prison sentence in a plea agreement with federal prosecutors. Ms. Parker admitted guilt to multiple charges of tampering with a consumer product and obtaining a controlled substance by deceit. Twenty-seven patients at two US hospitals where Ms. Parker worked last year and this year, in Denver and Colorado Springs, have tested positive for a strain of hepatitis C and have been linked to her care, according to state health records. Ms. Parker’s lawyer said outside the courthouse that he thought the lesser sentence was warranted in part by his client’s cooperation with health officials and the police since her arrest this summer

I have been impressed with the English web resource  www.harmreductionworks.org.uk

This website supports the harm reduction works campaign materials. The campaign was developed by Exchange Supplies for the National Treatment Agency as part of the implementation of the Department of Health publication Reducing Drug Related Harm: An Action Plan. The plan commits to reducing the burden of illness and death caused by illicit drug use through improved surveillance of service provision, improved delivery of harm reduction services, and information campaigns aimed at drug users and drug service providers.

http://www.harmreductionworks.org.uk/index.html

Harm reduction works  it has some great information on Hepatitis C  I like this video in particular how small is the hepatitis C Virus is.

Best of Health

www.hcv.org.nz