People living with hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV) could be just as likely or more likely to develop cancer than someone smoking a pack of cigarettes a day, new research suggests. According to the Center for Disease Analysis (CDA) Foundation, people infected with hepatitis B and C viruses “have a similar or significantly higher risk of developing cancer than someone who actively smokes one pack of cigarettes per day”, and therefore HBC and HBC should be “considered as cancer causing infections and international guidelines should be reconsidered accordingly”. Hepatitis is the term used to describe inflammation of the liver, according to the NHS. Hepatitis B is spread in the blood of an infected person – it can be spread from infected women to their babies, or through unprotected sex and injecting drugs – and hepatitis C is usually spread through blood-to-blood contact with an infected person. The NHS says HCV is most commonly spread in the UK through sharing needles used to inject drugs. The foundation found that HBV and HCV viruses are highly oncogenic. Oncogenes are mutated genes which can lead to cancers in multiple organs and sites. Homie Razavi, managing director at CDA Foundation said: “Hepatitis B and C infections are silent epidemics. These viral infections are cancer causing but since infected individuals don’t show any symptoms until it is too late, most infections go unnoticed. “It is important for all of us to recognise the high risk of cancer associated with hepatitis B and C infections and get patients linked to care. Treatment can reduce the risk of cancer by 85% or more.” As part of a call on World Hepatitis Day 2023 (July 28), the World Hepatitis Alliance (WHA) has launched a campaign called ‘We’re not waiting’ with its global network of 323 members in over 100 countries, in order speed up the fight against the disease, which claims a life every 30 seconds. In a new survey, the WHA found that 42% of people around the world are unaware that viral hepatitis is one of the leading causes of liver cancer. Nearly three-quarters (74%) of those surveyed said knowing that hepatitis causes liver cancer means they are more likely to get tested, whilst 82% would get vaccinated. In total, over 350 million people have been diagnosed with either hepatitis B or C around the world, which results in more than 1.1 million deaths every year. And by 2024, deaths caused by this disease could surpass mortality from malaria, HIV, and tuberculosis combined, according to the WHA. “Every year, more than a million lives are lost to hepatitis,” said Danjuma Adda, president of the WHA. “The theme of World Hepatitis Day 2023 is ‘We’re not waiting’. It’s a call to accelerate elimination efforts of viral hepatitis now and the urgent need for testing and treatment for the real people who need it. “Individuals and communities around the world are making change happen in their own lives and in [the] world around them. We celebrate them, while demanding more action. We’re not waiting for change – we’re fighting to make it happen.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

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Chris Christie was on ABC this weekend bashing Donald Trump as the former New Jersey governor charts a path to the GOP nomination which he believes necessitates a direct showdown with the ex-president. Mr Christie, who previously served as a federal prosecutor, told ABC’s Jonathan Karl on Sunday that his opponent needs to choose his words carefully going forward to escape further criminal liability. "Trump needs to be smart and careful about this, if that's at all possible. Which is [to say] that he is a criminal defendant," he said. It was advice that is unlikely to be followed. Mr Trump has pursued an aggressive campaign of indignation and charges of political weaponisation against prosecutors in New York and Washington DC who have charged him with more than 70 criminal counts in three matters: His alleged hush payments to Stormy Daniels, his efforts to change the results of the 2020 election, and his allegedly illegal retention of classified materials from the White House. Mr Trump has even personally targeted the Department of Justice’s special counsel, Jack Smith, and warned that anyone who participated in the investigations against him will face his wrath. The agency has, as a result, sought to chill his speech on social media and elsewhere regarding the open criminal case against him. Mr Christie holds a unique position as a 2024 contender and rival to ex-President Trump: He was known to have been in the running to serve as Mr Trump’s attorney general in the wake of the 2016 election. He also helped Mr Trump prepare for debates against Joe Biden in 2020. Now, he battles his former ally for the GOP nomination, arguing that Mr Trump’s actions in the wake of his defeat are roundly disqualifying. “This guy has been a one-man crime wave,” Mr Christie previously said of Mr Trump’s numerous indictments during an April interview with Pod Save America. “Look, he’s earned every one of them. If you look at it, every one of these is self-inflicted. And that’s why, you know, do I think that prosecutors exercise prosecutorial judgment in discretion in some respects that are questionable? Yeah – and they always have. But what I say to people all the time is whether you agree or disagree with the prosecutors, look at the underlying conduct.” Mr Trump has denied wrongdoing in all the criminal cases against him. Despite this, his legal team is said to be expecting further criminal charges in the coming days, filed this time by prosecutors in Georgia investigating the Trump campaign’s efforts to pressure local officials into throwing out the state’s lawful 2020 election results for months after the election took place. Read More New Jersey Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver lies in state in the capitol rotunda Meet the 2024 Republican and Democrat presidential candidates Trump says he won't sign Republican loyalty pledge, flouting debate requirement Georgia elections official rails against Trump making himself a ‘martyr’ amid indictments Trump steps up attacks on Fani Willis as Georgia probe links Trump team to voting system breach - latest Ron DeSantis faces ‘pudding fingers’ chant and other protests during Iowa campaign stop

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