Hepatitis risk for new students

Freshers’ week: a potent combination of alcohol, fast food and little sleep. But the effects of this hedonistic rampage may be more serious than sleep deprivation and a less than spotless lecture attendance record.

New research has found that half of UK students are in fact putting themselves at risk of the deadly hepatitis C virus by engaging in ‘risky’ activities. These include sharing banknotes or straws when taking drugs, getting tattoos or piercings and sharing razors or toothbrushes, according to The Hepatitis C Trust.

The survey, which was conducted at Freshers’ Weeks at London, Brighton, Edinburgh, Manchester and Nottingham universities, also found that two in three students do not know the symptoms of hepatitis C, or how serious it can be.

The virus is in fact a major cause of acute hepatitis and acute liver disease. Approximately 500,000 people in the UK are currently living with hepatitis C.

Chief executive of The Hepatitis C Trust, Charles Gore, said the findings were ‘worrying news’ for parents who have just seen their children off to university.

He commented: “We don’t want to tell students not to have fun at university, just be smart about it. Through our campaign, we want to educate young people about the risk factors of hepatitis C and encourage those who may have engaged in risky behaviour in the past to get tested.”