Credit: MSAN
Luxembourg's Ministry of Health and the HIV Berodung service of the Luxembourg Red Cross have announced that mobile teams will be carrying out free hepatitis C and HIV screenings at Luxembourg Railway Station (Gare) on Wednesday, on the occasion of World Hepatitis Day.
Like many health and social issues, viral hepatitis screening and treatment has also suffered from the COVID-19 pandemic. Infectious disease professionals found that 2020 was characterised by a delay in screening and treatment caused by the pandemic, while hepatitis viruses continued to spread. In light of this observation, the authorities deemed it necessary to remedy this situation so that people living with viral hepatitis are detected quickly and can be treated.
Viral hepatitis is an infection of the liver caused by viruses, the best known of which are hepatitis A, B and C. Hepatitis A, transmitted by the ingestion of contaminated food has almost disappeared in Europe, whilst hepatitis B is mainly transmitted sexually and the best form of protectection is vaccination. Hepatitis C is through blood-to-blood contact, mainly via drug injection equipment or snorting drugs, but also during piercing, tattoos, operations and dental treatment depending on the country where these acts took place. The latter is now curable with a treatment lasting two to three months.
“If hepatitis B and C go untreated, they can lead to cirrhosis after several years of development and do as much damage as excessive alcohol consumption. They are also transmissible to relatives and friends and family, which is why it is important to be detected, treated and protected”, warned Luxembourg's Minister of Health, Paulette Lenert.
After potential exposure to one or the other viral hepatitis, individuals should undergo a screening at least once in their life. Screenings are doubly effective since they can also detect HIV.
Screening is recommended in the following situations:
- if a family member or partner has chronic viral hepatitis;
- if you have had blood-to-blood contact before the 1990s or in a country outside the European Union (EU), including transfusions, surgery, dental care, tattoos, piercings, etc.;
- if you have ever snorted or injected drugs or have been in a relationship with someone who has done this.
To get tested, those concerned should consult their general practitioner or another doctor of their choice, make an appointment for a screening consultation at the infectious diseases unit of the Centre hospitalier du Luxembourg (CHL; tel.: 4411-3091) or go to the screening service within the HIV Berodung service of the Red Cross to perform a rapid test for hepatitis C and / or HIV (www.dimps.lu).
In addition, as part of World Hepatitis Day, mobile teams (DIMPS) from the Red Cross will be carrying out free, rapid and anonymous screenings for hepatitis C and HIV on the forecourt of Luxembourg Gare on Wednesday 28 July 2021 from 11:00 to 15:00.
