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Hepatitis Australia warned that
people using tattooing and piercing kits purchased online could be unknowingly
spreading the hepatitis C virus (HCV). Stuart Loveday, president of Hepatitis
Australia, explained that the disease is transmitted when people share
equipment to inject illicit drugs, but that the association does not have data
on those who were infected in other ways.
Loveday noted that tattooing and
body piercing are very popular, and that people are participating in tattooing
and body piercing parties with kits purchased online for $100 or less. Many of
these kits are advertised as being suitable for beginners. The problem is that
the persons using these kits do not have the knowledge or equipment to properly
sterilize the instruments.
Loveday warned that HCV is 10 times
more infectious than HIV, and that early detection is difficult because there
may be no obvious signs or symptoms. He explained that the disease causes liver
damage and can cause liver cancer, liver failure, and death. Loveday said that
new treatments provided a good chance of a cure and that the association hoped
that these treatments would be added to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (a
government program that provides subsidized prescription drugs) to make the
treatments more accessible.
Jack Wallace of La Trobe University
added that because of stigma, people did not want to admit that they had HCV
infection or get tested or treated. He said that more than 225,000 Australians
are estimated to be infected with HCV.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
