Today marks World Hepatitis Day – an annual event to raise awareness of viral hepatitis.
In 2016, the UK Government committed to eliminating viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030.
However, there is a real worry that the needs of inclusion health groups will not adequately be met as part of this commitment. Inclusion health groups refer to marginalised people who live with multiple health inequalities and social exclusion; all of which cause barriers to accessing healthcare – this can include people facing homelessness.
The stellar work St Mungo’s has done in this area, alongside its partners in the Hep-C Trust and the NHS, shows what can happen if we do not forget the health needs of some of the most vulnerable sections of our society.
Sara Hide, Hepatitis C Coordinator at St Mungo’s comments: “People experiencing homelessness represent one of the most at-risk groups for infection of Hepatitis C – a virus that can cause chronic inflammation of the liver. The intense psychological trauma of being homeless can lead to substance use and sharing of needles, and as transmission occurs from blood to blood, Hep-C is a real risk for people we support. The longer their health needs are unaddressed, the more intense they become.
“We see people who are homeless facing many other conditions alongside a Hep-C infection, including poor mental and physical health, however the quicker their Hep-C infection is treated the less likely they are to develop liver cancer; this dramatically improves their life expectancy and quality.
“The NHS has made great strides in treating tens of thousands of people with Hep-C, and the Hep-C Elimination Programme supports us to consider people’s holistic health, but we need to ensure that the health needs of people facing homelessness are not forgotten. This is why collaboration between St Mungo’s, the Hep C Trust and NHS UCLH Find & Treat, as a part of Hep-C Elimination, is integral to finding more people with the infection, who otherwise would not present to mainstream healthcare services. We meet people affected by homelessness where they are; this can be through outreach, home visits, and clinics with screenings and treatment – the latter now less invasive and with shorter courses of medication.
“We look forward to strengthening this partnership over the coming years, and we hope the much-awaited homelessness strategy will crystallize the fact that homelessness and health, including treatment of Hep-C, can never be seen in isolation.”
To find out more, please visit: Campaign Resources 2025 – World Hepatitis Day
