Zoé Robledo, director of the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS), reported that a total of 469,581 rapid hepatitis C tests were performed in 2022, of which 2,150 patients tested positive for hepatitis C and were assigned received treatment, of which 1,992 patients were treated. patient. Currently, 95% of patients who have completed treatment have been cured.
In the framework of World Hepatitis Day, the Social Security Director-General said the condition was the fifth leading cause of primary care at the institute, although it was sometimes diagnosed when patients developed complications such as cirrhosis or liver cancer.
He explained that there are vaccines to prevent hepatitis A and B; as far as hepatitis C is concerned, the social security and health departments provide effective and free treatment, which can achieve fundamental improvement of the disease, and even cure it.
“It is important to understand that these testing campaigns, the IMSS experts say, can take several measures to prevent infection: not sharing items for personal use that come into contact with blood or bodily secretions, getting tattoos or piercings where it can be determined that the material is sterile, “He said.
Zoé Robledo added that risky sex should be avoided, and if you find exposure to any factor, go to the PreventIMSS service at the Center for Family Medicine (UMF) and request a rapid hepatitis C test.
Image: Twitter / @Tu_IMSS