Health officials have urged people to get tested for a disease that can cause “serious damage”
18:57, 29 Jul 2025Updated 19:00, 29 Jul 2025
The virus can cause life-threatening conditions like liver cancer(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Brits with a higher risk of getting hepatitis C have been urged to “get tested” for the potentially life-threatening virus.
Experts at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) have warned that the disease typically shows “no signs until serious damage is done”, with the NHS highlighting that most people will have no symptoms.
Hepatitis C is a virus that affects your liver. The NHS says it can damage your liver and can sometimes lead to life-threatening conditions like liver cancer or liver failure, even if people don’t feel unwell.
The virus is typically transmitted through blood-to-blood contact with someone who is infected. In the UK, sharing needles for drug injection is the most common mode of transmission.
The UKHSA said on X: “Hepatitis C often shows no signs until serious damage is done. It can be treated, so testing is key to help you reduce your risk.”
The agency is urging those at a higher risk of exposure to hepatitis C to contact their GP and get tested for the virus.
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In a GIF on X, the UKHSA said: “Have you had a blood transfusion before 1996 in the UK? Blood transfusions before 1992 and blood products before 1986 in the UK were not routinely tested for hepatitis C.
“Have you ever had medical, dental or cosmetic treatment at home or abroad in unsterile conditions?
“Have you ever shared a needle or other equipment for injecting drugs?
“Have you ever had condomless sex, or shared a razor or toothbrush with someone who might have hepatitis C?
“Have you had a household contact, close family member or sexual partner with hepatitis C?
“Were you born in a country where hepatitis C is more common? This includes countries in Africa, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, the South Caucasus, and Central Asia.
“If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, there may be a chance you have come into contact with hepatitis C. Speak to your GP about getting tested.
“Hepatitis C is curable and is treated using very effective tablets which you take for 8-12 weeks. Treatment is free of charge in the NHS.”
The Hep C virus may not cause any symptoms for years(Image: Getty Images)
The warning comes as a new study found that lifestyle changes and hepatitis vaccination could prevent most liver cancer cases.
The proportion of global liver cancer cases linked to hepatitis B is expected to decrease from 39 per cent in 2022 to 37 per cent in 2050, while hepatitis C-related cases are projected to drop from 29 per cent to 26 per cent.
Between 2015 and 2023, the number of people living with chronic hepatitis C in England has fallen dramatically in the general population by 56.7 per cent, according to UKHSA data. This can be attributed to better treatment and increased testing efforts.
The NHS says that most people with hepatitis C will have no symptoms and will not know they have it. Those who do develop symptoms may experience:
- A high temperature
- Tiredness
- Loss of appetite
- Tummy pains
- Feeling and being sick