Hepatitis C has so far been treated with a low threshold in housing units and Symppis health counselling centres, for example. Now the operations are expanding, with tests and treatment being offered from a van across the city.
‘Feel free to contact us’
‘Barriers of access to treatment have been further reduced. The hepatitis C rapid test and the new equipment will enable the necessary tests to be carried out and treatment to be started quickly without an appointment or visits to the doctor or laboratory,’ says Pia Pulkkinen, Helsinki substance abuse services manager, with satisfaction.
‘On weekdays, we drive around Helsinki in a white van with the Helsinki logo on the side. Feel free to contact us, call or come and chat. If you are staying in Helsinki but don’t live here, you can also contact us as a non-resident,’ Pulkkinen encourages.
You can contact the mobile care team by phone on weekdays 8–16, tel. +358 50 308 96 61, +358 50 461 92 69, +358 50 410 68 68. When the mobile team starts on 23 September, it will be stationary in front of the Symppis point in Itis (Kajaaninlinnantie 10) for the first few weeks.
There are an estimated 2,000–3,000 intravenous drug users with untreated hepatitis C in Helsinki. The City of Helsinki aims to ensure that treatment reaches them all.
Hepatitis C is transmitted through the blood. The use of injected drugs, as well as piercing and tattooing with shared equipment, are risk factors for infection. Hepatitis C infection is usually asymptomatic. Symptoms usually appear only after a long period of illness. The most serious consequences of hepatitis C are cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer.
Helsinki is actively investing in substance abuse services
The hepatitis C mobile testing and treatment service being launched is part of the City's hepatitis C elimination project, which has received funding from the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. Helsinki is investing more in the prevention and treatment of substance abuse issues and will develop its own substance abuse strategy to support concrete action this autumn.