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England set to be one of the first countries to eliminate hepatitis C

bbc.com

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Re: England set to be one of the first countries to eliminate hepatitis C

#401

Post by unethical_ban »

laurencerowe wrote: post #365
tjohns wrote: post #331

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From a US perspective, even this seems wild to me. I've always been told that at least an annual physical exam with bloodwork is highly recommended as the standard of care for adults of all ages. Not everyone chooses to get them, of course. But ACA insurance plans here offer at least one annual physical exam free of charge (considered preventative care).

Annual exams were included in the ACA but as I understand it there is no evidence to show that they improve health outcomes. I had one once in 15 years when it was incentivised by my employer (presumably trying to show that we were low risk to reduce the rates they paid?) but otherwise my doctor has never tried to book me for one. I think I'd prefer the UK system where if you worry something is wrong you can see a do…

I wonder how accurate that is. As in, these screenings are meant to detect early signs of issues like diabetes, liver problems, cholesterol, blood pressure, and so on. Is the case that many people are healthy and don't need it? That we haven't had a long enough sample time to know how screening in the 30s affects outcomes in the 60s?

Re: England set to be one of the first countries to eliminate hepatitis C

#402

Post by alexchamberlain »

tialaramex wrote: post #79
zelphirkalt wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

OK, so now we have the following terms: State, nation, country, sovereign country. For example in Germany one would say there are 16 states, but one wouldn't say that there are 16 countries. Never heard anyone claim that. So state seems to be different from country, at least here. Would people in the UK say that Scotland or Wales are "nations"? Or is at least that term very clearly only for units that could participa…

"And by 'country' we mean a sovereign state that is a member of the UN in its own right" to quote the famous UK Quiz Show "Pointless". Team GB enters the Olympics but as you may have noticed it was England who came Third in the World Cup recently, and likewise England play international rugby, including against Wales and Scotland.

And, of course, the Ireland rugby team picks players from both the Republic of Ireland & Northern Ireland.

Re: England set to be one of the first countries to eliminate hepatitis C

#403

Post by HDBaseT »

nly wrote: post #62
thex10 wrote: post #48

I am glad they’re screening for it. I was born to someone who had the virus, but didn’t know I had Hep C myself until I submitted myself to an exceptionally thorough STI testing panel. I say exceptional, because the standard ones I’d done throughout college and early adulthood do not happen to include that particular test. So I feel a bit lucky to have been able to get diagnosed and treated in my mid-20s, before the…

That's odd. I just looked at what I thought was a pretty standard piss and blood STI test results of my own, and it covered: - Syphilis - Hep B - Hep C - HIV 1 and 2 and P24 - Chlamydia - Gonorrhoea

I've never had a piss or blood test.

Re: England set to be one of the first countries to eliminate hepatitis C

#404

Post by andsoitis »

nly wrote: post #146
Aurornis wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hep C screening at least once for adults >= 18 is recommended and considered standard of care in the United States. I checked my medical records and I have a negative Hep C result in an old checkup when I was younger, and another one from a new provider who insisted on a big panel of standard testing for new patients (despite me having no risk factors). It’s unfortunate that your early providers dropped the ball. I w…

Crazy how different healthcare is in different countries. In the UK once you've had your childhood vaccinations it's entirely possible you'd simply never see a doctor again in your life until you're ready for your prostate exam in older life. There are no regular checkups or preventative care on the NHS for mid life adults unless you're proactive

> In the UK once you've had your childhood vaccinations it's entirely possible you'd simply never see a doctor again in your life until you're ready for your prostate exam in older life.

It is not customary in the UK to see a doctor at regular intervals for checkups?

Re: England set to be one of the first countries to eliminate hepatitis C

#405

Post by andsoitis »

Aurornis wrote: post #172
simonw wrote: post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think the general public were as influenced by a paper in the Lancet as they were by other members of the public (and media) talking about that study.

The US is a global media and culture juggernaut, so by that token the US can be blamed for most trends. I don't think it's a worthwhile distinction. Anti-vax culture was prominent in the UK, Australia, Canada, and many other countries at the same time. I'm not seeing any strong reason to blame the US as the root or solo cause.

> The US is a global media and culture juggernaut, so by that token the US can be blamed for most trends.

Hmmm. By that logic, does it mean the US can also take credit for most trends?

Re: England set to be one of the first countries to eliminate hepatitis C

#406

Post by MarceliusK »

There is a pretty striking contrast here with the infected blood scandal. The NHS went from being responsible for one of the worst hepatitis C transmission disasters in the country's history to potentially becoming one of the first health systems to eliminate the disease

Re: England set to be one of the first countries to eliminate hepatitis C

#407

Post by MarceliusK »

thex10 wrote: post #48

I am glad they’re screening for it. I was born to someone who had the virus, but didn’t know I had Hep C myself until I submitted myself to an exceptionally thorough STI testing panel. I say exceptional, because the standard ones I’d done throughout college and early adulthood do not happen to include that particular test. So I feel a bit lucky to have been able to get diagnosed and treated in my mid-20s, before the…

A disease that can stay silent for years, but is also highly curable once detected, seems like exactly the thing you want to screen for more aggressively

Re: England set to be one of the first countries to eliminate hepatitis C

#408

Post by MarceliusK »

nly wrote: post #146
Aurornis wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hep C screening at least once for adults >= 18 is recommended and considered standard of care in the United States. I checked my medical records and I have a negative Hep C result in an old checkup when I was younger, and another one from a new provider who insisted on a big panel of standard testing for new patients (despite me having no risk factors). It’s unfortunate that your early providers dropped the ball. I w…

Crazy how different healthcare is in different countries. In the UK once you've had your childhood vaccinations it's entirely possible you'd simply never see a doctor again in your life until you're ready for your prostate exam in older life. There are no regular checkups or preventative care on the NHS for mid life adults unless you're proactive

The downside of that model is that "be proactive" assumes people know what they should be proactive about

Re: England set to be one of the first countries to eliminate hepatitis C

#409

Post by amarant »

unethical_ban wrote: post #400
amarant wrote: post #337

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is the real reason women live longer than men. Doctors won't see me unless I'm dying, or at least tell them I am. And I am, if I understand things correctly, which I might not tbh, in a high risk group for prostate cancer, given that I was diagnosed with chronic prostatitis at 22. I've even asked for checkups but was denied. And where I live you can't really pay for health care (but you can pay to skip the line,…

What country are you in? Not challenging, I'm gathering perspective. I am in the US with health insurance through my employer and I get blood tests every 6-12 months to check for abnormalities as well as a standard interview for how I'm feeling and whatnot. Also have a few prescriptions that require 3-month checkins.

Sweden. Our system is pretty good at emergency care, but absolutely abysmal at preventive care, imo.

Re: England set to be one of the first countries to eliminate hepatitis C

#410

Post by MarceliusK »

alistairSH wrote: post #3

Interesting that it's just England (and not Scotland, Wales, or NI). I realize they all have independent NHSs, but still would assume a program like this would rolled out across all the constituent countries.

My guess is that devolution makes these programs and statistics look more separate than they really are
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