A new booklet for drug users affected by Hepatitis C and their families has been published in Dublin today.
The publication gives details of a unique treatment initiative for sufferers put in place by the Drug Treatment Centre Board at Trinity Court in Dublin earlier this year.
According to the author of the booklet, Dr Shay Keating, more than 80 per cent of the drug-using population in Dublin (around 10,000 people) have Hepatitis C, a severe liver condition which often leads to premature death.
Without treatment, within 20 years more than 20 per cent of people with Hepatitis C may develop cirrhosis of the liver and 6 per cent of those may develop liver cancer.
Dr Keating said preliminary findings from the treatment programme at the Dublin centre indicate it is successfully matching treatment programmes that are exclusively hospital-based. It is the first time such treatment has been delivered in a specialist drug treatment setting, according to the DTCB.
However, the final results of the study will not be presented until February 2004.
Ms Sheila Heffernan, general manager of the DTCB said: "The booklet provides a comprehensive, easy-to-read guide for individuals and families affected by Hepatitis C.
"It will also be of value to GPs and other health professionals working in the area of substance misuse and its associated health risks."
The Minister for Health, Mr Martin, was present at the event in Pearse Street today.