Now the region is gathering strength against hepatitis C

Kalmar County is now the first region in Sweden to decide on a comprehensive regional plan for the elimination of hepatitis C. The idea is to reduce new cases of the disease by 80 percent and deaths by 65 percent by 2030. The goal has been set by the World Health Organization (WHO).

“It is important to communicate information to everyone that it is easy to get tested for hepatitis C and that sampling and treatment are free,” says Lisa Lappé-Sandlin, infection control doctor at Kalmar, in a press release.

In regional investment, cooperation with the Kalmar City Mission, the district treatment center and supportive accommodation for adults will be intensified. Training and information will also be enhanced internally.

New treatment

Today about 58 million of the world's population suffer from chronic hepatitis C, and in Kalmar County alone about 25 cases are detected annually.

In most cases, you will recover from treatment with the tablets for eight to twelve weeks with no or few side effects. This treatment is relatively new, and more than 95 percent of those treated have been cured.

– These simple and effective tablet treatments are one of the greatest medical successes in the field of infection medicine during my practice as a physician. It also gives us the opportunity to treat individuals suffering from persistent abuse, giving us the opportunity to influence and limit the spread of infection in this vulnerable group, says Mats Hägglund, chief physician at the Infectious Diseases Clinic in Kalmar.

The Department of Psychiatry, the Department of Primary Care and the Kalmar County District Health Care Department are behind the decision.

Agnes Bergstrom

the Apprentice