Pamela Anderson is cured of hepatitis C virus (HCV). The actress and activist wanted all of us to know that fact. She wanted so much for all of us to hear the good news that to announce her status she posed tastefully naked on Instagram to make sure she was heard. Well, she definitely got our attention.
Whatever you may think of Anderson, she may be the highest-profile person yet to publicly share such information. That alone deserves giving her a closer look. Thankfully, and not unexpectedly, there is much more to her personal story. Click here for a profile.
Anderson was successfully treated with one of the new HCV drugs. She certainly had the means to afford them, but she also was fortunate enough that the virus had not yet irreparably damaged her liver. Unfortunately, such may not have been the case for Natalie Cole.
Oriol R. GutierrezJoan Lobis Brown
The singer died last year from congestive heart failure. However, liver specialists are speculating underlying medical issues, including her longtime struggle with hep C, may have contributed to her death. Click here for more.
Although Cole reminds us that the consequences of HCV are all too real, Anderson reminds us that there is hope for those living with the virus. Getting access to the new hep C drugs remains an ongoing barrier for too many people, but the drugs keep getting better.
The 12-week treatments that not long ago seemed liked miracles are getting even shorter and easier, with fewer side effects. More HCV genotypes are now treatable. People who have both hep C and HIV are benefitting from the new HCV drugs. However, there are concerns that you should at least consider. Click here and here to read about them.
Researchers of hep C have also been busy. Click here, here and here for highlights from The Liver Meeting 2015, an annual conference for scientists and health care professionals hosted by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.
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