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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Body Shop founder has Hepatitis C | Body Shop founder has Hepatitis C |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Body Shop founder Dame Anita Roddick has said she has Hepatitis C. | Body Shop founder Dame Anita Roddick has said she has Hepatitis C. |
| Dame Anita, 64, said she also has cirrhosis of the liver, one of the long-term effects of the disease. | Dame Anita, 64, said she also has cirrhosis of the liver, one of the long-term effects of the disease. |
| The multi-millionaire contracted the disease through a blood transfusion while giving birth to her youngest daughter, Sam, in 1971. | The multi-millionaire contracted the disease through a blood transfusion while giving birth to her youngest daughter, Sam, in 1971. |
| She said: "I have Hepatitis C. It's a bit of a bummer... I had no idea I had this virus. I was having routine blood tests when it showed up." | She said: "I have Hepatitis C. It's a bit of a bummer... I had no idea I had this virus. I was having routine blood tests when it showed up." |
| In a statement posted on her website, she added: "What I can say is that having Hep C means that I live with a sharp sense of my own mortality, which in many ways makes life more vivid and immediate. | In a statement posted on her website, she added: "What I can say is that having Hep C means that I live with a sharp sense of my own mortality, which in many ways makes life more vivid and immediate. |
| I want to blow the whistle on the fact that Hep C must be taken seriously as a public health challenge Anita Roddick class="" href="/1/hi/health/medical_notes/695934.stm">What is Hepatitis C? | |
| "It makes me even more determined to just get on with things." | "It makes me even more determined to just get on with things." |
| Dame Anita has just become a patron of the Hepatitis C Trust, the only UK charity devoted to the virus. | Dame Anita has just become a patron of the Hepatitis C Trust, the only UK charity devoted to the virus. |
| She called for greater public awareness and better funding for the disease. It is often known as the 'silent killer', because people with the disease may show no symptoms initially. | She called for greater public awareness and better funding for the disease. It is often known as the 'silent killer', because people with the disease may show no symptoms initially. |
| She said: "Well, I've always been a bit of a `whistleblower' and I'm not going to stop now. | She said: "Well, I've always been a bit of a `whistleblower' and I'm not going to stop now. |
| "I want to blow the whistle on the fact that Hep C must be taken seriously as a public health challenge and must get the attention and resources that it needs." | "I want to blow the whistle on the fact that Hep C must be taken seriously as a public health challenge and must get the attention and resources that it needs." |
| Stomach pain | Stomach pain |
| The virus is transmitted by infected body fluids and people who share needles are particularly at risk. | The virus is transmitted by infected body fluids and people who share needles are particularly at risk. |
| Dame Anita said it was especially important for people over 50 and anyone who had had a transfusion before 1991 - when the NHS started to test donated blood for the virus - to come forward for testing. | Dame Anita said it was especially important for people over 50 and anyone who had had a transfusion before 1991 - when the NHS started to test donated blood for the virus - to come forward for testing. |
| Professor William Rosenberg, of the University of Southampton, said 90% of people carrying the virus have not been diagnosed. | Professor William Rosenberg, of the University of Southampton, said 90% of people carrying the virus have not been diagnosed. |
| He said one of the problems was that it causes general symptoms including stomach pain, feelings of being unwell and poor concentration. | He said one of the problems was that it causes general symptoms including stomach pain, feelings of being unwell and poor concentration. |
| No vaccine exists to prevent Hepatitis C infection, but treatments are available which are effective in more than half of cases. | No vaccine exists to prevent Hepatitis C infection, but treatments are available which are effective in more than half of cases. |
| Dame Anita set up the first Body Shop in Brighton in 1976. It became part of the French company L'Oreal Group in July last year but is run independently. | Dame Anita set up the first Body Shop in Brighton in 1976. It became part of the French company L'Oreal Group in July last year but is run independently. |