New Zealand ramps up hepatitis C testing: Treatment fast and effective

Pharmacist Abby Fitzharris of Gordon's Pharmacy is happy to test members of the public for hepatitis C with a simple finger prick test. Those who test positive can be treated and cured within eight weeks. Photo / Wynsley Wrigley

A renewed nationwide push is under way to get at-risk people tested for hepatitis C because it has never been easier to be tested, treated and cured.

Gordon’s Pharmacy is taking part in this year’s Stick it to Hep C Campaign and pharmacist Abby Fitzharris is eager to help.

Between February 2019 and June 2024, around 6400 New Zealanders with hepatitis C had received a course of the hepatitis C treatment Maviret through the public health system.

More than 100 New Zealanders die every year from hepatitis C, all of whom could have been saved by earlier diagnosis and treatment.

The testing consists of a free rapid finger-prick test followed by an easy cure – Maviret tablets once a day for eight weeks.

“It’s pretty exciting,” said Fitzharris. “We can cure people with hepatitis C.

“It’s simple – a little finger prick, it’s ladybird size . . . (and) we know within minutes if you’ve got antigens.

“Basically, a doctor writes you a script, we give the treatment and you are cured.”

“We’ve had a few people go through from the finger prick to the cure. It’s pretty exciting.”

Maviret is safe and has a success rate of over 98%.

Each year around 500 new infections of hepatitis C are diagnosed in New Zealand.

While some people with the disease experience unusual tiredness, joint pain, loss of appetite, nausea and abdominal pain, many people don’t notice any symptoms until irreparable liver damage has occurred.

If left untreated, up to a third of people with hepatitis C will develop a condition known as cirrhosis, which can progress to life-threatening liver cancer or liver failure.

People are at risk of hepatitis C if they –

* have ever injected drugs or shared equipment

* have ever received a tattoo or body piercing using unsterile equipment

* had a blood product transfusion before 1992

* have ever lived in a high-risk country or received medical treatment there

* have ever been in prison

* were born to a mother with hepatitis C.

World Hepatitis Day is observed annually on July 28 to raise awareness about viral hepatitis and its global impact.

This year’s theme is “It’s time for action”.

With a person dying every 30 seconds from a hepatitis-related illness, the call has gone out from the World Health Organisation to accelerate action on better prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

There are five main strains of the hepatitis virus – A, B, C, D, and E. Together, hepatitis B and C are the most common infections and result in 1.3 million deaths and 2.2 million new infections each year.