Hepatitis C often shows no signs until serious damage is done. It can be treated, so testing is key to help you help reduce your risk. #WorldHepatitisDay #HepC
🔗 https://t.co/mqokQBm3RX pic.twitter.com/ahoVG5kEv3— UK Health Security Agency (@UKHSA) July 28, 2025
Brits at elevated risk of hepatitis C have been urged by UKHSA to get tested even if they feel fine. The virus often shows no symptoms until serious liver damage occurs. That reality makes early detection critical, because treatment now cures most cases. Monica Desai at UKHSA said “Many people live with hepatitis C without knowing it as symptoms often don’t show for years.”
https://pharmaceutical-journal.com/article/news/genomics-surveillance-programme-for-hepatitis-c-launched-by-uk-health-security-agency
An NHS spokesperson added “We urge anyone who might have been at risk of contracting hepatitis C to get checked out for peace of mind.”
https://www.thesun.co.uk/health/28036901/infected-blood-scandal-thousands-risk-hepatitis-not-know/
The UKHSA program includes genome sequencing to track drug resistance and outbreaks, while chronic cases in England dropped by 56.7 % between 2015 and 2023. At-home testing kits are freely available via NHS web portals for people exposed before 1991 or with other risk factors.
At the core lies a cost motive. Testing expansion ties into elimination programmes funded by public health budgets. Early diagnosis funnels patients toward antiviral drug contracts. Labs, treatment clinics and screening providers receive continued funding. Money flows through testing into cure campaigns, with institutional agencies positioning themselves at the centre.