A LONG-forgotten one night stand with a drug user could have devastating effects decades later—that was the warning yesterday as a £43 million investment in Hepatitis C services for Scotland was announced, writes Marjory Inglis, health reporter.

Testing and treatment services across the country will be expanded to tackle the threat from the blood- borne virus as a result of the cash announced by Scottish Public Health Minister Shona Robison at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee.

Local liver specialist Dr John Dillon, based at the hospital, revealed the ticking time bomb that is hepatitis C infection.

He said most people were unaware they had been infected with the blood borne virus until they suffered symptoms, by which time it might be too late.

“An estimated 50,000 people in Scotland have hepatitis C and most of the 50,000 are unaware they have the infection,” said Dr Dillon, who led the national advisory group on testing, treatment and care of hep C patients which helped inform the national action plan launched yesterday.

“An episode in the past, a one off or some teenage prank has led to significant risks to their health and may lead to untimely death unless we make them aware of the risks.”

As well as expanding testing and treatment services, the new money will be used to raise awareness of the illness.

While the disease is mainly associated with injecting drug users, some people were given infected blood during medical treatment.

The late Anita Roddick, founder of the Body Shop, revealed shortly before she died last year that she was suffering from Hepatitis C. She linked the infection to a blood transfusion following the birth of her daughter in 1971.

“Most people don’t know when they acquire Hepatitis C,” said Dr Dillon. “It can take 20 to 50 years to develop the illness.

“By then it may be too late to cure or that cure may be much more difficult to achieve,” he said.

Ms Robison said the target was to treat four times as many people every year across Scotland as are now getting treatment.

“A significant strand of the plan is about improving testing, treatment, care and support of those infected with the disease,” she said.

Ms Robison said that at the moment 500 people every year were being treated for the disease across Scotland. The target was to quadruple that.

NHS Tayside’s share of the investment announced yesterday is £2.6 million over the next three years.

There are an estimated 5000 people in Tayside who are infected but only around 1700 have so far been diagnosed.

Dr Dillon said that at the moment around 50 people a year in Tayside were being treated and the aim was to increase that to 70 a year over the next three years.

Asked if the cash announced for Tayside would be sufficient to provide for the necessary expansion in services, he replied, “It will help.”

Health Protection Scotland estimated that in 2006 around 2100 Hepatitis C infected people were living with cirrhosis of the liver and between 1000 and 1500 injecting drug users were becoming infected annually.

It is estimated that if 2000 people a year received anti-viral therapy over the next 20 years , 5200 cases of Hepatitis C related cirrhosis, including 2700 with liver failure, would be prevented.