Hep C fibroscan1

Did you know at least 50,000 New Zealanders are estimated to have chronic Hepatitis C, but only half of them know? 

Those most at risk of Hepatitis C are people who:

  • Have injected drugs (even if only once)
  • Have received a tattoo or body piercing using unsterile equipment
  • Lived or received medical attention in a high-risk country (South East Asia, China, Eastern Europe (including Russia), or the Middle East)
  • Had a blood transfusion or received blood products prior to 1992
  • Have ever been in prison
  • Were born to a mother living with Hepatitis C.

The most common symptoms include: tiredness, joint pain, loss of appetite, nausea, and abdominal pain. However, many people have no symptoms or do not notice until 20-30 years after infection.

Hep C: A cure is within reach

There is now a simple, quick and painless tool that assesses the health of your liver, using a FibroScan. Things have also changed when it comes to treating Hep C. The new options have a 95 to 98 per cent cure rate with 12 weeks of treatment, with few side effects for people with genotype 1.

The important thing is to get tested.

For more information: