§ John MannTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will initiate a large scale screening programme for hepatitis C [85040]
§ Ms Blears[holding answer 4 December 2002]: Our consultation paper, "Hepatitis C Strategy for England", which was published on 14 August 2002, proposes that individuals at increased risk of infection or with otherwise unexplained liver disease should be offered testing for hepatitis C.
We will be issuing guidance to the national health service on hepatitis C testing as part of implementation of the strategy.
§ John MannTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of new infections of hepatitis C there will be in(a) 2003 and (b) 2004. [85041]
§ Ms Blears[holding answer 4 December 2002]:New cases of hepatitis C infection usually occur without causing symptoms. Therefore it is not possible to identify new infections or make reliable estimates of future trends.
The Public Health Laboratory Service receives reports of laboratory diagnoses of antibody to hepatitis C. These diagnoses are not able to distinguish between new and previous infections and most often identify individuals with chronic hepatitis C infection. As proposed in our consultation paper, "Hepatitis C Strategy for England", it is expected that there will be an increase in the diagnosis of chronic hepatitis C infection over the next few years, as individuals who have carried the virus for some time are identified through wider testing of groups who have been at risk.
§ John MannTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what his assessment is of the proportion of moderate to severe sufferers of hepatitis C who receive the mandated treatment specified by NICE. [85044]
964W
§ Ms Blears[holding answer 4 December 2002]: The Department of Health does not hold information centrally about the number of patients receiving treatment for hepatitis C.