Opinion: Hepatitis C, a silent killer that deserves more attention – Vancouver Sun
July 27, 2017
Hepatitis C is a silent killer. People can have it for decades without any symptoms.
Yet, this virus affects many people, highlights inequities in our health and social systems and is part of an important, but often untold, Canadian story.
Canada has been in the forefront of addressing hepatitis C, starting with Dr. Michael Houghton, an internationally recognized microbiologist at the University of Alberta, who was the co-discoverer hepatitis C and continues to work with his team to create a vaccine against the virus.
Despite Canada’s significant role in discovering the virus, the sad fact is that more than half of Canadians who have hepatitis C do not know that they have it, and even fewer people have access to the life-saving medications, which are now more widely available.
