All posts tagged: hepatitis

Pamela Anderson says hepatitis C diagnosis was ‘death sentence’ in emotional Venice speech

Pamela Anderson says hepatitis C diagnosis was ‘death sentence’ in emotional Venice speech

Published by Daniella Wilson

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Pamela Anderson described herself as a “victor” as she remembered being told she had about 10 years to live after being diagnosed with hepatitis C. She said the news turned her life “inside out”. Anderson first spoke publicly about the diagnosis in a July 2002 interview on CNN’s Larry King Live, saying she had been diagnosed “just over a year ago” after hepatitis C was detected during routine blood tests. “Back in the late ’90s, when I was diagnosed with hepatitis C, there was no cure. It was a death sentence. That’s what my doctor told me – that I probably had around 10 years to live,” she said on Sunday, as she accepted amfAR’s Award of Courage at the organisation’s annual Venezia gala, …

Seeking a lasting cure for hepatitis B

Seeking a lasting cure for hepatitis B

Published by skeptic

For millions of people living with chronic hepatitis B, long term treatment has been the only option. EU funded researchers are joining forces to develop combination therapy that could one day free patients from lifelong medication. Hepatitis B is a chronic infection affecting roughly 254 million people worldwide and causing about 1.1 million deaths each year, mainly from cirrhosis and liver cancer. Although a preventive vaccine has been available for more than 40 years, there is still no cure for people already living with the disease. Current antiviral medicines can suppress the virus, but cannot eliminate it. According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), around 3.6 million people in the 27 EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway are chronically infected with hepatitis B. Many do not realise they are infected until serious liver damage has already occurred, leaving them on lifelong treatment. “People think we have solved the problem because we have a preventive vaccine. But for the millions already living with chronic hepatitis B, that is simply not true,” said Professor …

Lawmakers Add ID Requirement to Indiana’s Needle Exchanges

Lawmakers Add ID Requirement to Indiana’s Needle Exchanges

Published by Sam Flores

Previously, a person could anonymously swap used needles for clean ones at approved sites in six counties. The programs are credited with curbing bloodborne infections across the state, including HIV and hepatitis C cases. Speaking against the bill in committee testimony, the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council claimed the exchanges were facilitating drug use and causing a “proliferation of needles” in communities. Lawmakers responded with changes to the bill: requiring a 1 to 1 needle exchange rate; implementing regional restrictions on who can use the program; and barring the exchanges from operating near schools, day cares and churches. The IDs, Rep. Brad Barrett said during the House Public Health Committee, would help prove a person lives in a region that the county needle exchange is permitted to serve. “This is the first time we’ve actually put some guardrails and some accountability,” Barrett, R-Richmond, said later on the House floor. Advocates, though, say the change will all but eliminate access for some participants. “Addiction doesn’t care if you have an ID or not,” said Alan Witchey, the …

Outrage over ‘ridiculous’ compensation for ‘unethical research’ victims, including boys infected with HIV and hepatitis | UK News

Outrage over ‘ridiculous’ compensation for ‘unethical research’ victims, including boys infected with HIV and hepatitis | UK News

Published by Sam Flores

Proposed compensation for victims of “unethical testing” at a college, leaving them with HIV and hepatitis, has been branded “ridiculous” by a charity. Between the 1970s and early 1990s more than 30,000 people in the UK were infected with HIV and hepatitis after being given contaminated blood and blood products in what was dubbed the worst treatment disaster in NHS history. More than £2bn has now been paid in compensation to victims of the infected blood scandal. However, a charity has raised “profound concerns” about an element of the payouts for people who were victims of “unethical research”. Pupils at the Lord Mayor’s Treloar’s College in Hampshire, who were undergoing haemophilia treatment, were also experimented on without their knowledge by NHS clinicians, who knew the dangers it posed. The Infected Blood Public Inquiry’s report, published in May 2024, found that boys with the disorder who attended the school were treated as “objects for research” and were given “multiple, riskier” treatments. They have been offered a one-off £15,000 payment on top of ongoing support, with a …