Members enjoyed a treat last week with Professor Ed Gane presenting the amazing news to us that almost everyone with Hepatitis C can now be cured! In fact, he and his global team are on track toward total eradication of this disease within the next 30 years!
We learned an estimated 80 million people live with Hepatitis C and this disease is one of the silent global epidemics of the 21st Century causing one million deaths a year.
Dr Gane then explained to us how over a number of years he had supervised drug trials on Kiwi volunteers with chronic Hepatitis C. The trials have resulted in the development of new drugs, which once administered, need only a short course of tablets to CURE the disease.
This phenomenal advance in treatment will have a global impact on a similar scale to the Polio vaccine. In New Zealand it will mean that Hepatitis is eliminated by 2030.
Dr Gane went on to outline how they hope to increase the uptake of treatment within the community and worldwide. This was an extremely interesting, educational and positive presentation.
Click here if you would like to learn more about Dr Gane and his work: http://www.apscvir2018.com/programme/speakers/ed-gane.html