England Nears Hepatitis C Elimination Target

Since 2015 the NHS has rolled out modern antiviral medicines that cure more than 95 % of hepatitis C infections after an 8- to 12-week tablet regimen. A 2019 agreement with pharmaceutical firms Gilead Sciences, MSD and AbbVie enabled large-scale access to these drugs. The programme also expanded testing: emergency-department blood-test pilots launched in 2022 have identified 1,900 previously undiagnosed cases, and GP practices now ask new patients about transfusions before 1996 to capture those affected by the historic contaminated-blood scandal. Free, confidential home-testing kits are offered online to people at higher risk, including recent migrants from several Eastern European nations and individuals who have used injectable drugs or had tattoos abroad.

How is England on track to eliminate hepatitis C?

NHS England reports that over 100,000 people have been treated since 2015, exceeding the World Health Organization’s benchmark of treating 80 % of known cases. Current estimates place the adult hepatitis C burden at roughly 50,200 individuals in England, with 84.6 % diagnosed—just shy of the 90 % target. Deaths linked to the virus have fallen 36 % over the past decade, and modelling suggests effective treatment could cut the need for liver transplants by 80 % in the next ten years. While the target of a 65 % reduction in hepatitis C-related mortality versus 2015 levels remains unmet, officials anticipate reaching it before the WHO 2030 deadline.

How is England on track to eliminate hepatitis C?

Prof Frankie Swords, NHS national medical director, said England is leading the world in the mission to eliminate hepatitis C and is on course to meet the WHO 2030 target, emphasizing the need to maintain momentum. Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Yvette Cooper described the effort as “preventative, forward-looking healthcare” that catches illness early, eases hospital pressure and extends healthy life expectancy. The NHS continues to urge high-risk groups—particularly adults born in Ukraine, Romania, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Albania, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Czechia or Slovakia—to order a free home-testing kit.

BBC News

• “England is now leading the world in the mission to eliminate this disease and on course to beat the WHO's 2030 target, but we are determined to keep up the momentum and finish the job.” — Prof Frankie Swords, national medical director

BBC News