They conduct free hepatitis tests at Villaballos Hospital

Dr. Silvina Ocampo, Director of the Pathology Department of the Enrique Villa Barros Hospital, gave a detailed account of their national campaign against hepatitis, which they organized free of charge in the central hall of the local hospital.

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Ocampo detailed the campaign when contacted by The Independent, “This is the eighth year in a row we’ve done this, and we’ve been doing this nationally since July 28, when the world celebrated Hepatitis Day. We Hopefully people will be able to enter the central hall of the hospital for free and without any prerequisites so that they can get a rapid test and immediately get information as they leave whether they have hepatitis C. Cases. Hepatitis can be asymptomatic for years and may be Diagnosed incidentally or as a result of complications. It’s important for people to know that and be able to get a diagnosis.”

The medical expert emphasized, “People who go to the doctor for hepatitis are self-diagnosed people, because their urine turns yellow and black, which is acute hepatitis. Symptomatic patients, they are findings. No one comes to consult because there are no symptoms, pain, discomfort of chronic hepatitis. This is done for several reasons, firstly to get people to agree to the diagnosis, and then to get rid of the fear of contagious hepatitis Contact a health professional to ask for a test. Either Hepatitis B or C. Hepatitis A is less common and most of us had it as children without realizing it. If we didn’t Vaccines, which we can get for free. Type A causes few complications and leaves no sequelae, unlike other types, which are the most important and can lead to further complications such as cirrhosis, liver cancer, or in Some cases require a transplant.”

Ocampo pointed out to the public the importance of getting tested. He stressed that anyone over the age of 18 can visit, regardless of their pre-existing conditions.

Regarding the test that will be done at the local hospital, he said: “It’s a quick test, similar to the test for the new coronavirus), a drop of blood is drawn from the pulp of the finger, the blood drop is placed on a “cassette tape”, and it takes 10 to 15 minutes. The result will be given within 2 hours. It will be given immediately and explain the steps to take if the result is positive. They must know that if they test positive for hepatitis C today, they can be cured. The treatment time is short, only two to three months, The cure rate is over 95%.

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