At-home hepatitis C test identifies hundreds with silent but deadly virus
NHS push to stamp out ‘silent killer’ with at-home testing
- The NHS has identified 225 individuals with hepatitis C following its national at-home testing service, launched in May 2023.
- Over 100,000 at-home hepatitis C tests have been requested since the service began, including a surge after the Infected Blood Inquiry's final report in May 2024.
- Hepatitis C, often called a 'silent killer', can lead to severe liver damage if undiagnosed, but is treatable with antiviral tablets.
- Among those diagnosed, seven in ten are from deprived communities, with common risk factors including injecting drug use, though a small number are linked to contaminated blood.
- NHS England has also introduced a system for new GP registrants to identify those who received blood transfusions before 1996, aiming to find more victims of the infected blood scandal.