maybe if b iddon cared about the drug dealing and prostitutes operating in his backstreet then maybe we would all take him seriously??

I think Dr Iddon is trying to cover the real issue on why we need to be aware of this killer infection.

A recent report on Hepatitis quoted a Department of Health estimate that there are about 7,700 new cases of chronic hepatitis B every year. 96% of these cases have entered the UK with the infection, generally from areas of high prevalence.

As testing is routine in 47 other countries it is indefensible to pretend that it is not an issue in the UK. Yet, despite the clear evidence, the Government refuses to take the action that is so obviously necessary,

Over 12 hours since I posted this comment! And not one liberal minded freak as replied!!!!!!!

G you are so right. Dr Iddon is trying to highlight and bring public awareness to this serious virus. I was at the inquiry when he gave his evidence, as I am caught up in the Hep "C" issue in respect that I was infected with the same virus through NHS blood products. I almost died, but for a life saving liver transplant in Oct 1998. The public need to understand and become more aware about the seriousness of it. Almost 1,000 Haemophiliacs have died as a result of being infected with the virus and over 2,000 are terminally ill with it. There are thousands out there who have it and dont know. If they are treated earlier then they have a chance of long term life. More needs to be done about testing. I can assure you all dying of liver disease is a painful way of dying, it almost got me. David

G wrote:
I think Dr Iddon is trying to cover the real issue on why we need to be aware of this killer infection.

A recent report on Hepatitis quoted a Department of Health estimate that there are about 7,700 new cases of chronic hepatitis B every year. 96% of these cases have entered the UK with the infection, generally from areas of high prevalence. As testing is routine in 47 other countries it is indefensible to pretend that it is not an issue in the UK. Yet, despite the clear evidence, the Government refuses to take the action that is so obviously necessary,

Rubbish. By far the greatest risk of contracting Hep C is intravenous drug use. The risk from people entering the country is almost exclusively from those who contracted the disease within a health care setting ie they would needed to have been introduced to blood contaminated equipment such as re-used syringes. This is the main cause in developing countries as opposed to our impressive illicit drug consumption.

A remarkable story David, and congratulations to you and all involved in your marvelous recovery.

But my response to Andrew, is so you think our drug users are mainly responsible? Well, that may have been the case a decade or so ago, but not anymore.

Work Permit Holders
Hep C = 1,577
Asylum seekers, Hep C = 1,430
Students, Hep C = 7,989

The calculation excludes dependants so will err on the low side. And the results are taken from as far back as 2003, and we all know how lax our borders have been, and one can only guess at how many more have arrived in the four years since these results were tabled!

Adding the number of HIV, HEP B and HEP C together would suggest that each year's intake of asylum seekers and work permit holders could involve a potential cost to the NHS of £1290 million. Such calculations cannot be precise but they certainly indicate that the potential costs are huge. This suggests an urgent need to introduce testing, at the very least for those, including students, who come from areas of high risk for these diseases.

Go look at the Dept of Health site and at risk groups rather than believing the rubbish put out by Migration Watch.