{"id":301961,"date":"2025-07-29T19:15:12","date_gmt":"2025-07-29T19:15:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/301961\/"},"modified":"2025-07-29T19:15:12","modified_gmt":"2025-07-29T19:15:12","slug":"ukhsa-urges-brits-to-get-tested-for-life-threatening-virus-with-no-symptoms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/301961\/","title":{"rendered":"UKHSA urges Brits to ‘get tested’ for life-threatening virus with ‘no symptoms’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Health officials have urged people to get tested for a disease that can cause “serious damage”<\/p>\n

18:57, 29 Jul 2025Updated 19:00, 29 Jul 2025<\/p>\n

\"AsianThe virus can cause life-threatening conditions like liver cancer(Image: Getty Images\/iStockphoto)<\/p>\n

Brits with a higher risk of getting hepatitis C have been urged to “get tested” for the potentially life-threatening virus.<\/p>\n

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<\/a> highlighting that most people will have no symptoms.<\/p>\n

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<\/a> or liver failure, even if people don’t feel unwell.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.”<\/p>\n

The agency is urging those at a higher risk of exposure to hepatitis C to contact their GP and get tested for the virus.<\/p>\n

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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.<\/p>\n

“Have you ever had medical, dental or cosmetic treatment at home or abroad in unsterile conditions?<\/p>\n

“Have you ever shared a needle or other equipment for injecting drugs?<\/p>\n

“Have you ever had condomless sex, or shared a razor or toothbrush with someone who might have hepatitis C?<\/p>\n

“Have you had a household contact, close family member or sexual partner with hepatitis C?<\/p>\n

“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.<\/p>\n

“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.<\/p>\n

“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.”<\/p>\n

\"HepatitisThe Hep C virus may not cause any symptoms for years(Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n

The warning comes as a new study found that lifestyle changes and hepatitis vaccination could prevent most liver cancer cases.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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:<\/p>\n