According to the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, the Covid-19 emergency may have reduced the diagnoses of hepatitis, diverting public attention from this pathology and thus increasing the “submerged” cases, already estimated in 2019 at around 250,000-300,000 in all Italy. To promote awareness and diagnosis of this pathology, the Italian Diagnostic Center – CDI adheres to the world day dedicated to it, offering the possibility to undergo free rapid response saliva tests for the diagnosis of hepatitis C (HCV).
Without the need to book, the test can be carried out on the day of Wednesday 28 July, from 7.30 to 10.30 in the offices:
- CDI San Rocco – Belpo ‘Shopping Center (1 floor) – San Rocco al Porto (LO)
- CDI Navigli (SSN Withdrawal Point) – via Liguria 23 – Milan
- CDI Bicocca – via Temolo 3 – Milan
To undergo the test, you must not have eaten, drunk or smoked in the 30 minutes prior to the test.
Fulvio Ferrara, Director of the Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical Genetics and Pathological Anatomy of the Italian Diagnostic Center comments on the initiative: “The Covid-19 pandemic that we have been fighting against for almost a year and a half has captured the attention of public opinion and unfortunately many have begun to neglect the prevention and fight against other serious diseases, such as hepatitis C. Therefore, never as now, promoting conscious behaviors and promoting early diagnosis is very important. In its 46 years of activity, the Italian Diagnostic Center has made prevention one of its main focuses, thanks to the advice of its experts, its widespread presence on the territory and campaigns in favor of the population, such as the “on the road” tests also carried out on occasions such as the Giro d’Italia in recent years “.
Every year, on July 28, the World Health Organization promotes the World Hepatitis Day, the world day against hepatitis. The 2021 campaign for the knowledge, prevention and fight against this pathology is focused on the message “Hepatitis can’t wait“and intends to underline the need to expand as much as possible the diffusion of tests for the diagnosis of asymptomatic people and innovative antiviral therapies, to stimulate governments and local administrations to promote investments in favor of the eradication of the disease and to put an end to the social stigma that it has always been associated with this pathology.
According to the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, the risk factors for contagion include: exposure in hospital (42.1%), aesthetic treatments carried out in inadequate hygiene facilities (such as manicures, piercings and tattoos – 36 , 8%), drug use (23.5%), an HCV positive cohabitant (21.4%). The percentage of cases due to sexual exposure, understood as multiple sexual partners or non-use of condoms during occasional intercourse, is decreasing (5.6% of cases compared to 30.6% in the previous year).
The examination for the rapid diagnosis of hepatitis C consists of a salivary sample, absolutely painless, which allows to identify the hepatitis virus and offers a response in just twenty minutes. In case of positivity, the patient will be asked to take a blood sample to confirm the diagnosis.
Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C is an infectious liver disease caused by a virus called HCV. The virus mainly attacks the liver causing liver cell death and consequently causing very severe structural and functional damage.
From 130 to 210 million individuals worldwide have chronic hepatitis C virus infection, however it is not possible to define a precise number: even the World Health Organization is only able to provide estimates of the prevalence of the infection