England is on track to become one of the first countries in the world to eliminate hepatitis C, a dangerous virus that attacks the liver, figures show.
The target of treating 80% of all known cases has already been met, and deaths from the virus have fallen by 36% in the last decade, just short of what is needed by 2030.
Taking antiviral tablets for 8 to 12 weeks can cure more than 95% of cases.
Initiatives including A&E blood tests, GP registration testing and free at-home tests have helped to find people who were previously undiagnosed, says NHS England.
Silent disease
Hepatitis C is spread through contact with blood infected with the virus, such as by sharing needles with someone who has it.
Donor blood is already screened for it.
It is a silent disease, meaning people often have no symptoms until much later.
Untreated, it can cause serious and potentially life-threatening liver damage.
NHS England says that since 2015, more than 100,000 people have been diagnosed and treated for hepatitis C, meaning the country is already meeting that target.
Another goal – a 65% reduction in hepatitis C-related mortality compared with 2015 levels – has yet to be met, but might be before the 2030 target date.
Around 50,200 adults are living with hepatitis C, figures for England in 2024 suggest.
Estimates indicate 84.6% of those living with hepatitis C have been diagnosed – just short of the 90% target.
The Hepatitis C Trust says England is “on the cusp” of one of the most significant public health achievements in our country’s history.
Prof Frankie Swords, NHS national medical director, added: “England is now leading the world in the mission to eliminate this disease and on course to beat the WHO’s 2030 target, but we are determined to keep up the momentum and finish the job.
“We are committed to finding and treating everyone who needs support and would urge those at greater risk to come forward by ordering a free and confidential home-testing kit online.”
Adults born in Ukraine, Romania, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Albania, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Czechia or Slovakia are particularly urged to test, as some may have been infected through medical or dental procedures before 1991.
People can order a free, confidential NHS home self-testing kit without needing to speak to a GP.
The grandfather from Blackburn, Lancashire, said: “My first reaction was disbelief. I remember saying: ‘Are you sure? Surely there’s been some mistake.’
“I didn’t feel ill. I kept wondering how I could possibly have caught it.”
He says the medical support he received made a huge difference.
While it has not been established how Eatwell caught the virus, it has been suggested that surgery in South Africa decades ago may have been the cause.
Infected blood scandal
From 1970 to 1991, more than 30,000 people in the UK were infected with HIV and hepatitis C from contaminated blood products and fusions.
The infected blood scandal is known as the biggest treatment disaster in the NHS.
About 3,000 have since died and more deaths will follow.
A public inquiry found authorities covered up the scandal and exposed victims to unacceptable risks.
