What is Hepatitis C?
The Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) is a major cause of liver disease. A
person can be infected with Hepatitis C for many years without
having any symptoms. If left untreated,
Hepatitis C can eventually progress to cause serious liver
damage.
How common is Hepatitis C?
In Scotland, it is estimated that approximately 37,000
individuals are chronically infected with
Hepatitis C (
Hepatitis C in the UK: Annual Report, 2014, Health Protection
Agency). However, many people infected with Hepatitis C are
completely unaware of it because of the often silent nature of the
infection. Scottish Government have responded to this, recognising
Hepatitis C as one of the most serious and significant public
health concerns of our generation in launching their Hepatitis C Action
Plan for Scotland in September 2006, following it up with the
Sexual
Health and Blood Borne Virus Framework in 2011.
A family of viruses
Hepatitis C was only identified in 1989, scientists continue to
discover more about the virus and how it works.
What most people don't realise is that Hepatitis C is not just
one virus. There are many different strains of Hepatitis C. These
have been grouped into 6 categories know as genotypes 1 to 6.
Finding out which genotype you have is important for treatment.