Hepatitis is a general term for inflammation of the liver. Hepatitis C, also known as hep C, is an infection of the liver that is caused by the hepatitis C virus. Hepatitis C is spread via blood-to-blood contact.

People who inject drugs or share equipment are at high risk of contracting hepatitis C. Hepatitis C has also been contracted from:

• Blood product transfusions before 1992.
• Unsterilised medical, dental and cosmetic procedures (particularly in countries with low levels of infection control).
• Unsterilised tattooing and body piercing.

An estimated 40,000 – 45,000 New Zealanders are infected with hepatitis C, and around 25% of them don’t know they are infected. Every year there are around one thousand new hepatitis C infections in Aotearoa.

The most common symptoms of hepatitis C are tiredness, nausea, discomfort around the abdomen and yellowing of the eyes and skin. But many people with hepatitis C don’t have any symptoms at all, and symptoms may not appear until 15 years or more after someone was initially exposed to the virus.

He kupu whānui te atekakā mō te pauku o te ate. He pokenga ā-ate te atekakā C, e mōhiotia ana hoki ko ‘hep C’, ka hua ake i te huaketo atekakā C. Ka horapa te atekakā C i te pāngia o te toto e toto kē.

Ko te hunga e wero whakapōauau ana, e whakawhitiwhiti nei hoki i ā rātou taputapu, ka kaha ake te whakarerae ki te atekakā C. Ka pāngia hoki te tangata e te atekakā C:

• i ngā whakawhitinga toto i mua i te 1992
• i ngā tukanga ā-rongoā, ā-whakatika niho, ā- whakapai āhua hoki, kāore nei i patuerotia (ina koa ngā whenua e iti noa ana ā rātou tikanga tāmi pokenga)
• i ngā kirituhi me ngā tiokanga ā-tinana kāore i patuerotia.

Kei te takiwā o te 45,000 te tokomaha o Aotearoa kua pāngia e te atekakā C, ā, kei te takiwā o te 25% o taua hunga rā te tokomaha kāore i te mōhio kua pāngia rātou. Kei te takiwā hoki o te kotahi mano te nui o ngā pokenga hou e te mate atekakā C i ia tau i Aotearoa.

Ko ngā tohumate o te atekakā C e kitea whānuitia ana, ko te hiamoe, ko te paipairuaki, ko te auhi o te puku me te kōwhai haere o ngā kanohi me te kiri. Heoi anō, he nui ngā tāngata kua pāngia e te atekakā C kāore ō rātou tohumate, ā, kāore pea e puta ngā tohumate kia 15 tau, kia neke atu rānei, mai i te whakaraerae tuatahitanga ki te huaketo rā.

Even though you could have hepatitis C without any noticeable symptoms, hepatitis C could be causing damage to your liver – so it’s important to get tested if you think you could be at risk. If you have hepatitis C but don’t get tested and cured, you could also spread it to friends and whānau via blood-to-blood contact.

The test involves two simple blood tests. The first test will show whether you have hepatitis C antibodies. This is a finger prick test, or a blood test. If this test is positive, it means that you’ve been exposed to hepatitis C at some point in your life, whether it happened within the past few months or many years ago. If this test is positive, then a second test will check to see if you currently have the hepatitis C virus in your blood. If your first test is positive, it’s very important to get the second test.

You’ll get the results of the finger prick test in less than 10 minutes.

Yes – the finger prick test is completely confidential.

The sooner the better – you can organise to start the treatment as soon as you test positive for the hepatitis C virus.

Ahakoa te pāngia pea ōu e te atekakā C, me te kore o ngā tohumate e āta kitea, kei te mate haere tonu pea tō ate - nō reira, e tika ana kia whakamātauria koe mēnā e whakaaro ana koe kua pāngia pea koe e te mate. Ki te pāngia koe e te atekakā C, engari kāore e whakamātauria, ka tuku haere pea koe i te mate ki ō hoa, ki tō whānau mā te pāngia o te toto e toto kē.

E rua ngā whakamātau ā-toto e māmā ana i te whakamātautanga. Ko te tuatahi he oka i tō matikara, e kitea ai te whai rauropi rānei o tō tinana i ngā rauropi mō te atekakā C. Mehemea he tohu kua tautuhia, kua whakaraerae koe ki te mate atekakā C i tōna wā, i roto rānei i ngā marama tata nei, i ngā tau o mua rānei. Mēnā he tohu ka tautuhia, mā te whakamātauhia anō ōu e kitea ai te pāngia o ō toto e te huaketo atekakā C i tēnei wā tonu nei. Mehemea he tohu i tautuhia i tō whakamātau tuatahi, he mea tino hira te whai kia whakamātauria anō koe.

Ka mōhio koe ki ngā hua o te okahia o tō matikara i mua i te paunga o ngā meneti 10.

Āe - ka noho matatapu katoa ngā hua o te whakamātautanga.

Ina wawe, ko te painga atu tēnā - ka pai kia tīmatahia e koe te whai rongoā i muri tata tonu i te tautuhia o ngā tohu mō te huaketo atekakā C.

Oral treatments that are available today, such as Maviret, can cure hepatitis C in up to 98% of cases. This means that within 8-12 weeks of starting the treatment, your blood will no longer contain the hepatitis C virus.

The treatment doesn’t cost you anything because it’s fully funded by Pharmac. It is even free from the pharmacy with no dispensing fee.

Having hepatitis C doesn’t automatically mean that you’ll experience symptoms or develop liver disease. But the longer you live with the virus, the more likely it is that you will have some degree of liver damage – so it’s really important to get tested if you think you could be at risk.

Untreated hepatitis C can cause serious illness and even death. It can lead to liver disease, liver failure and in some people, liver cancer.

Maviret is an antiviral treatment that comes in the form of pills. Three tablets are taken together, once per day, with a snack. Most people require just eight weeks of treatment, and the treatment has a success rate of up to 98%.

As with all medicines, there’s a possibility of side-effects, but most are mild and don’t last long. The most common side-effects of Maviret are headaches, tiredness and nausea.

Being successfully treated for hepatitis C isn’t the same as being immunised against it. That means it is possible to be re-infected with hepatitis C if you’re exposed again after your treatment is complete.

E wātea ana ngā rongoā ā-waha i ēnei rā, pēnei i te Maviret, ā, ka eke ki tōna 98% te taumata o te hunga ka ora i te rongoā atekakā C. Nō reira, ka whakakorea te huaketo atekakā C i ō toto i ngā wiki 8-12 i muri mai i tō tīmata i te rongoā.

He mea utu katoa te rongoā e Pharmac.

Ehara i te mea mā te pāngia ōu e te atekakā C, ka puta noa he tohumate, ka aunoa rānei te pāngia ōu e te mate ki tō ate. Engari, ina roa ake te noho o te huaketo i tō tinana, ka kaha kē atu te tinga o te pāngia o tō ate e tōna kino o te mate - nō reira, ahakoa te korenga pea o ō tohumate, he atekakā C tonu pea tōu, ā, e tika ana kia whakamātauria koe mēnā e whakaaro ana koe kua pāngia pea koe.

Ka tino māuiui, ka hemo rānei koe i te korenga e whai rongoā mō te atekakā C. Ka hua ko te mate ā-ate, ko te hē o te ate, ā, ka tūpono ake hoki ētahi tāngata ki te mate pukupuku ā-ate.

He rongoā patuwheori a Maviret, ā, he pire tōna momo. Ka kainga tahitia ngā pire e toru me te kai, i te wā kotahi o ia rā. E waru wiki noa iho nei te roanga o te kai rongoā a te nuinga o ngā tāngata, ā, ka eke ki tōna 98% te taumata o te angitu.

Pēnei i ngā rongoā katoa, ka puta pea he mate āpiti, heoi anō, ka māhaki noa, ā, kāore hoki e roa. Ko te mate āpiti e kaha kitea ana ko te ānini o te māhunga, ko te hiamoe me te paipairuaki.

Kāore i te rite te angitu o te rongoā i te atekakā C, tēnā i te whai ārai mate. Nō reira, ka taea tō pāngia anō e te atekakā C mēnā ka whakaraerae anō koe ki te mate rā i muri i te rongoā i tō mate.