Tony Zappia (Makin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Hepatitis C is a major health issue throughout the world. It is estimated that worldwide there are between 130 million and 170 million people living with chronic hepatitis C. In Australia, according to the 2011 Annual Surveillance Report produced by the Kirby Institute, there were 221,000 people living with chronic hepatitis C, 170,000 people living with chronic hepatitis B and 21,391 people living with HIV infection. It is also estimated that one in three people with hepatitis B and one in four people with hepatitis C are undiagnosed.

Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver from any cause. Hepatitis C is a highly infectious blood-borne virus which was first identified in 1988 and is transmitted through direct blood-to-blood contact. The most common cause of new hepatitis C infections in Australia is sharing contaminated drug-injecting equipment.

The symptoms of chronic infection are typically slow to emerge, and many people are unaware of their infection for years. Typical symptoms include fatigue, abdominal pain, nausea, loss of appetite, intolerance to alcohol and problems concentrating. However, these vary from person to person.

Hepatitis C is the leading reason for liver transplants in Australia, and hepatitis B and C are the primary causes of liver cancer. Last week, a conference in New Zealand was told that the number of new cases of liver cancer is expected to double in the next decade unless urgent action is taken to diagnose and treat an epidemic of viral hepatitis.

Statistically, Indigenous Australians and overseas born Australians from countries where there may have been an epidemic are the most likely to be affected. The Boston Consulting Group report titled The Economic impact of hepatitis C in Australia released in August 2012 states that there is an estimated $252 million annual cost to the Commonwealth and state and territory governments, and a projected five-year cost of $1.5 billion.

Two new direct-acting antiviral medications, Boceprevir and Telaprevir, are already available in many OECD countries. They have been registered in Australia and it is hoped they will be listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Schedule before the end of 2012. I urge the minister to support the listing of these medications. It is encouraging to see that current research suggests that treatments with virtually no side effects and a 90 to 100 per cent cure rate are a realistic prospect within five years. Hepatitis is a major health issue, but it can be treated. We can reduce the prevalence of hepatitis throughout the community and assist people already with the disease. What we need is a greater will to do so.