Hepatitis C testing and treatment in Australia

Hepatitis C treatment has come a long way in recent years.

Treatment used to involve painful injections with lots of side effects, year-long treatments and low success rates.

But new medicines released in 2016 are 95% effective in curing hepatitis C. They come in an easy-to-take pill form with minimal side effects and treatments take only 2-3 months.¹ These are direct-acting antivirals, or DAAs.

Here we talk about short and long-term hep C, the risk of getting it and testing options.

What is hepatitis C?

Hepatitis C is a viral infection affecting the liver. Hep C is blood-borne, so it can only be passed to another person by blood-to-blood contact.

Acute (short-term) hep C refers to the first few months after a person becomes infected. Most people don’t know they’re infected because they have no symptoms. Symptoms of the virus can take decades to appear.²

Chronic (long-term) hep C takes place after the acute infection has gone undetected and the virus has caused liver damage and disease.²

Chronic hep C is a leading cause of liver cancer and liver transplants in Australia.³

Acute hep C doesn’t always become chronic. Around 25% of people clear the virus from their bodies after the acute phase.^2,3

Who’s at risk of getting hepatitis C?

Anyone can get hep C, those at higher risk include people who:

• share needles or other equipment to inject drugs
• have had body piercing or tattoos with unsterile equipment
• had a blood transfusion prior to 1992
• work around blood or needles (doctors, nurses, laboratory technicians, etc.).^1,2

Sexual transmission of hep C is also possible, but it’s rare. You’re more at risk if you have a sexually transmitted disease or HIV and multiple sexual partners.¹

Getting tested for hepatitis C

The only way to know if you currently have hep C or have ever had it is through a blood test.

There are two types of hep C tests:

• Hep C antibody test (Hep C ab) – to determine if you’ve ever had the virus
• PCR viral detection test (Hep C RNA) – to determine if you have a current hep C infection.³

There are a few options available for getting tested for hep C:

1. Point-Of-Care Testing (POCT): Introduced earlier this year, POCT provides rapid hep C testing for people at high risk through some drug treatment clinics, needle and syringe programs, and prisons. Blood is taken from a finger-prick, and it only takes 20-60 minutes to get the test results.
2. Dry Blood Spot Testing: If you live in New South Wales, are aged over 16 years, and want to get tested for hep C (and/or HIV) without going to a clinic or doctor, there are new, free Dry Blood Spot (DBS) tests available.
3. Pathology referrals: Visit your GP or health clinic to get a pathology referral.

Barriers to successful hepatitis C treatment

These testing options aim to break down some of the barriers stopping people at high-risk from getting tested and accessing treatment.

In the past, testing involved many steps before treatment could begin, and there was a high dropout rate.

Stigma associated with being hep C positive is another barrier.

People with a diagnosis have often experienced negative interactions with health care workers after telling them they have hep C. This can discourage people from getting treatment.

Reduced cost of hepatitis C treatment through PBS

The new DAA treatments for hep C are available through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). You must be over 18 years and have a Medicare card. Further reductions in cost are available to concession card holders.

The combination of DAA medicines used depends on individual factors including prior treatment experience and if cirrhosis (liver scarring) has developed.

The goal of hep C treatment is cure

The aim of hep C treatment is to cure the infection and stop the virus from damaging the liver.

A viral detection test 12 weeks after treatment completion will confirm if you’re cured.

Don’t assume you’re cured without having the test. Sometimes a second course of treatment using different medication is needed.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has set global targets for the treatment of hep C, including:

• 90% of all chronic hepatitis C infections diagnosed
• 80% of those eligible for treatment to be virus free by 2030.

Australia has committed to achieving these targets, and the government is currently developing new National Strategies covering 2023 to 2030 to get us there.⁴

More information

Read these articles for more info on hep C.

• Hepatitis Awareness
• A cure for hepatatis