Two hundred children have received life-saving treatment for hepatitis C as part of a world-first NHS programme in England.
The children aged between 3 and 18 years were the first in the world to receive curative anti-viral tablets that has a treatment success rate of 99%.
This has been part of the NHS England’s Hepatitis C Elimination programme which expanded to include children under 12 in 2021.
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Speaking at the HCV Elimination National Conference last week, Professor Sir Stephen Powis, medical director for NHS England, described it as a ‘milestone’ for these 200 children to receive the treatment.
‘Giving children this treatment as early as possible can cure them of this devastating disease, stopping them from developing serious liver disease as week as hepatitis C-related liver cancer later in life.’
Darius, 45, from Coventry has a 10-year-old daughter Dominika, who contracted the virus when her mother passed it to her during pregnancy.
Once Dominika was old enough she was given the treatment which consisted of taking one pill a day and she experienced no side effects.
‘It’s hard to explain how amazing we felt when she was cleared of the virus, as it was such an emotional moment. Thanks to the treatment, we can carry on with normal happy lives now,’ explained Darius.
Hundreds more children will benefit from the treatment as part of the NHS’s Long Term Plan, to be the first in the world to eliminate the virus by 2030.
NHS England reported that deaths from Hepatitis C, including liver disease and cancer had fallen by 35%, following a £1 bill, five-year contract to buy antiviral drugs for patients.
Rachel Halford, CEO of The Hepatitis C Trust, said: ‘We’re delighted that so many children have had access to swift and effective treatment to cure hepatitis C. The sooner the virus is treated, the less impact it will have on a child’s mental health and the less damage it will cause to the liver.’