Malta has registered encouraging progress in the treatment of Hepatitis C, with around 83% of the people recorded as having contracted the virus over the past 30 years now completely cured.
According to a report by TVM News, around 1,200 people in Malta were registered with Hepatitis C during this period. Approximately 1,000 of them have since been successfully treated.
The progress has largely been linked to Malta’s national Hepatitis C treatment programme, which was introduced in 2018.
What is Hepatitis C?
Hepatitis C is a viral infection that causes inflammation of the liver. It is transmitted through contact with infected blood and can lead to serious health complications when it is not diagnosed and treated.
One of the main difficulties is that many people do not experience symptoms. Someone may feel healthy while the virus continues to cause liver damage over time.
Possible long-term complications can include liver scarring, known as cirrhosis, and liver cancer.
Treatment has become much simpler
Dr Moses Camilleri, a doctor at Malta’s Detox Centre, explained that modern treatment is far simpler than it once was.
Patients generally take daily antiviral tablets for around 12 weeks. The treatment is provided free of charge by Malta’s Health Department.
Modern direct-acting antiviral medicines can cure more than 95% of people receiving treatment for Hepatitis C, according to the World Health Organization.
A person is considered cured when blood tests show that the virus remains undetectable after treatment.
Around 200 people have not yet been cured
TVM reported that approximately 200 of Malta’s registered patients have not yet been cured.
Many of these individuals are believed to have lost contact with health services or stopped attending treatment appointments.
Doctors said stigma remains one of the obstacles preventing some people from seeking help, particularly because Hepatitis C is frequently associated with injected drug use.
However, the infection is a medical condition and anyone who may have been exposed to infected blood should feel able to come forward for confidential testing and care.
How is Hepatitis C transmitted?
Hepatitis C is most commonly transmitted when infected blood enters another person’s bloodstream.
Sharing needles or other equipment used to inject drugs is considered one of the main risks. Transmission can also occur through inadequately sterilised medical or tattooing equipment, accidental needlestick injuries and other situations involving exposure to infected blood.
It is not spread through everyday contact such as hugging, shaking hands, sharing plates or drinking from the same glass.
Testing remains important
Doctors are encouraging people who believe they may have been exposed to the virus to take a blood test.
Testing is important even when there are no symptoms, as early diagnosis allows treatment to begin before serious liver damage develops.
Unlike Hepatitis A and B, there is currently no vaccine against Hepatitis C. Prevention, testing and access to treatment therefore remain central to controlling the virus.
Anyone concerned about possible exposure should speak to their doctor or contact the appropriate public-health service for personalised medical advice.
Malta’s results show how accessible treatment, follow-up care and early testing can make a real difference, turning what was once a potentially lifelong illness into an infection that can now be cured for most patients.
Credit/Source: TVM News
