Testimonies

Patients and Families 

One mum Ashleigh Thomson said she was ‘over the moon’ after being told that her five-year-old son James would be getting the treatment for children. Ashleigh unknowingly contracted the virus through a tattoo or piercing but wasn’t diagnosed until she began experiencing symptoms when she was pregnant with her son James in 2014.

Ashleigh, from Milton Keynes, spoke of the relief she felt after discovering that her young son would be eligible for the new treatment:

“When I found out that James was getting this treatment, I was so happy I cried for three days straight. I was over the moon.

“The guilt I felt as a mother at passing the virus onto him was so immense it felt like grief, as I feared for his future. But now some of that burden has been lifted from my shoulders as I know that he can be cured thanks to the NHS.

“There is still a huge stigma attached to hepatitis C and there needs to be a lot more education around it. James is just like any other boy.

“Even if you don’t have any symptoms, I would encourage everyone to request a simple blood test and get tested, because the sooner you act, the sooner you can get cured.”

Medical professionals

Professor Stephen Powis, Medical Director for NHS England said:

“It is not very often we get the opportunity to completely eradicate a disease, but this world-first treatment for children will help the NHS achieve its goal to eliminate hepatitis C in England way ahead of the 2030 target set by the World Health Organisation.

“Getting children access to this treatment as early as possible will transform the lives of children and their families and is the latest life-saving drug offered to children by the NHS."

Rachel Halford, chief executive of The Hepatitis C Trust said:

“Children and young people now have access to Direct-Acting Antiviral treatments for hepatitis C. These treatments are effective, with few side effects, and are taken as pills.

“This is a massive improvement on old treatments which had major side effects and could often fail to clear the virus. It is fantastic that this network will mean children can access these treatments easily, close to their home, with their care discussed and overseen by the leading experts in the country.”

Ms Alison Taylor, CE, Children’s Liver Disease Foundation (CLDF) 

“This is a wonderful development and a real milestone in the journey to minimising the effects of this devastating disease for children and young people. It will make a real difference to their futures. It is great to be part of the steering group contributing to this initiative.”

Dr Helen Harris, senior scientist at Public Health England, said:

“With improved access to the latest hepatitis C treatments already having contributed to a 20% reduction in deaths from serious hepatitis C-related liver disease in England, it is good news that treatment is now being extended to children and young people. Improved access to the latest hepatitis C treatments will help us to reach our goal to eliminate hepatitis C as a major public health threat in the UK.”