{"id":83053,"date":"2017-07-28T10:44:41","date_gmt":"2017-07-28T10:44:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?guid=a7cf486ba283b9d2204f48fc5f455461"},"modified":"2017-07-28T10:44:41","modified_gmt":"2017-07-28T10:44:41","slug":"news-story-public-health-england-encourages-hepatitis-c-testing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?p=83053","title":{"rendered":"News story: Public Health England encourages hepatitis C testing"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Around 200,000 people in the UK are thought to be living with chronic hepatitis C (hep C<\/abbr>) infection, with a substantial proportion unaware they have it. Many will be over the age of 50 and may have no or few specific symptoms. Revolutionary treatments can now cure the virus in the vast majority of cases, with best results achieved in the earlier stages of the disease.<\/p>\n

Those infected previously faced weeks of injections, with some experiencing severe side effects and struggling to complete their treatment. Now, tablets can clear the virus quicker and more effectively, with fewer side effects. This is thought to have contributed to the recent fall in deaths from severe hep C<\/abbr> related liver disease.<\/p>\n

The virus, which can cause severe liver damage and cancer, is thought to affect around 200,000 people in the UK, with many unaware they are infected. In England, around one-third of those with long-term infection are believed to be over the age of 50 and many will have acquired the infection years, or even decades, earlier.<\/p>\n

You should get tested if you:<\/p>\n