Since 2013 Sema Mandal has been a medical consultant epidemiologist and viral hepatitis lead at PHE Colindale in the Immunisation, Hepatitis and Blood Safety Department of the National Infection Service. Prior to working with PHE and CDC, Sema trained as a specialist registrar in public health in London and joined the US Centers for Disease Control Epidemic Intelligence Service in Atlanta, working on vaccine preventable disease epidemiology and immunisation programmes in the US and overseas. Before entering public health, Sema worked in internal medicine, GUM and A&E in the UK, Australia and in Sudan - the latter as a field medical doctor for Médecins sans Frontières.
The World Health Organisation estimate that a staggering 325 million people worldwide are infected with hepatitis B and C, leading to 1.4 million deaths a year. This blogs looks at tackling inequalities in hepatitis C testing and treatment.
Earlier this month in São Paulo Brazil, over 100 countries with representation from civil society, governments, clinicians and public health came together for the 2nd World Hepatitis Summit to galvanise and encourage global efforts to eliminate viral hepatitis as a …
Hepatitis B virus is around 50 to 100 times more infectious than HIV. Hepatitis B can be transmitted through unprotected sex, sharing needles, or through direct contact with the smallest amount of blood. Infection is often symptomless but can eventually …
