Hepatitis, free screening for 54 thousand Belluno people

Citizens born between 1969 and 1989 will be able to participate. free of charge, by undergoing a blood test that checks for antibodies to the hepatitis C virus (HCV), the cause of the disease.

BELLUNO. Today the free screening for hepatitis C has also started in the Ulss Dolomiti, aimed at all people born between 1969 and 1989. This screening represents an opportunity for the early diagnosis of a disease that can often remain silent for years. Left untreated, this condition can cause serious liver damage, including liver cancer and cirrhosis. For some years, oral medications have been available that allow you to treat it in a simple, effective way and with few side effects.

Citizens born between 1969 and 1989 will be able to participate for free, by undergoing a blood test that looks for the presence of antibodies against the hepatitis C virus (HCV), the cause of the disease. In Ulss Dolomiti, about 54,000 people were born between 1969 and 1989.

The test can be performed, even without binding, in these ways:

• along with other scheduled blood tests
• by booking from the site https://www.aulss1.veneto.it/epatite-c-se-ce-si-cura/ at the collection centers of the Hospitals of Belluno and Feltre
• with direct access to other points / collection centers of hospitals, district offices or service centers (excluding Belluno and Feltre, which can be accessed by booking) indicated on the aforementioned web page.

Alternatively, the citizen can decide to wait for the letter of invitation to the screening that will arrive at home at a later time.

In the event of a positive blood test, regional screening offers in-depth examinations and specialist visits. The healthcare staff will then contact the citizen who will be accompanied along the entire path, from the first exams to the possible diagnosis of hepatitis C, up to treatment in a specialized center. The route will be completely free, without paying the ticket. The initiative, in fact, is part of a national project funded by the Ministry of Health, with the aim of eliminating the HCV virus from the national territory.