NHS England treats 100,000 people to combat hepatitis C

England is on the verge of becoming one of the first countries to eliminate hepatitis C, according to health officials. Since the rollout of pioneering antiviral drugs in 2015, over 100,000 people in England have been diagnosed and treated through the NHS.

Deaths associated with the virus have decreased by 36% over the last decade. The NHS has surpassed the World Health Organization benchmark of treating 80% of all known cases. Effective treatment, consisting of an 8 to 12-week course of antiviral tablets, cures more than 95% of cases and is expected to reduce the need for liver transplants by 80% over the next ten years.

To identify undiagnosed cases, the NHS has implemented testing in A&E departments and during GP registrations. Health officials are urging high-risk groups—including individuals who have had tattoos abroad, users of injectable drugs, or those who moved to England from certain Eastern European countries—to utilize free, confidential home-testing kits available online.