Southall MP Virendra Sharma has helped launch a report tackling the high rate of hepatitis C in South Asian communities.
Virendra Sharma, MP for Southall recently chaired the development of the new report called The Challenge of Hepatitis C for the South Asian Community.
Mr Sharma launched the report in Parliament this week (Tuesday January 13) alongside fellow panel members which include like minded MPs healthcare professionals and organisations committed to combating the burden of hepatitis C.
The report highlights serious concerns over the state of the disease’s management and prevalence within the UK’s South Asian community.
Ealing has one of the highest rates of hepatitis of any London borough according to a report released in 2012 by Public Health England.
Throughout the west London borough, data shows that 2183 people were estimated to be living with the disease.
With one-in-five people within the borough estimated as being from a South Asian ethnic group, the potential localised health impact of this disease is believed to be significant.
Despite this however, Ealing’s NHS health and wellbeing strategy cites hepatitis C as a low priority.
The report calls for more to be done to address this issue and provides a number of recommendations.
Last summer Mr Sharma kicked off a campaign in Ealing to support better awareness and diagnosis of HCV, hosting an event outside Ealing Town Hall.
Mr Sharma, said: “The South Asian community is a vibrant and growing population in this country, yet it suffers from a prevalence of hepatitis C that is thought to be nearly five times higher than the general UK population. This is a disease that can lead to liver failure or cancer, yet many people in the South Asian community remain completely unaware they have it. We need to do more to understand the cultural reasons behind these statistics, and use this knowledge to better equip health services to identify and treat those in this community with hepatitis C.
“So, there is a real need for better testing, particularly in high-risk constituencies such as mine. A key to this whole argument is that there are now a host of emerging treatments that can quickly and effectively cure this disease.”
Shabana Begum, the South Asian officer for the Hepatitis C Trust was a key driver of the Ealing project and is herself a former hepatitis C sufferer said: “There is an urgent need to find a more effective way of dealing with hepatitis C in the UK’s South Asian community. The stigma and a lack of awareness associated with this disease means that many people in this community will carry it for many years; not only does this increase the chance of spreading the infection but it dramatically raises the likelihood of those infected suffering serious liver damage. This report is a stark reminder that the issue of hepatitis C is simply too big to be ignored and that action at a local and national level is needed.”
An estimated 60,000 people in London have been infected with hepatitis C (i.e. they are hepatitis C antibody positive), of whom, an estimated 40% remain undiagnosed.
Hepatitis C is a blood born virus that can cause serious liver disease and cancer if left untreated. In the South Asian community it is often contracted through medical procedures associated with cultural practices. The silent nature of the disease also means that many people may be unaware they have the virus – promoting cumulative liver damage and onward spread. A recent estimate noted that one in five liver transplants in England are a result of this virus.
