Identify hepatitis-C tests at home hundreds with the virus

The NHS has found 225 people with a silent but fatal virus to tremble the disease and identify more victims of the infected blood scandal.

Officials said that more than 100,000 people had ordered hepatitis-C tests at home since the start of the service in May 2023.

This includes 15,463 tests ordered in the week after the infected blood tests were published in May 2024.

Hepatitis C is a virus that is passed on by blood-to-blood contact and infected the liver.

The disease is known as a “silent killer” because a few people can live with the virus for many years before finding that they are infected.

However, the delay of the diagnosis can lead to irreparable liver damage such as scars and cancer.

When people test positively, they can often be treated by taking antiviral tablets to combat the virus for several weeks.

People who test positively can also be offered a test to determine whether damage was caused on the liver.

Health officers said that 105,998 people ordered an online test for NHS hepatitis-C test since the service started the service in 2023.

NHS England found that seven out of ten people come from disadvantaged communities from the NHS -Scheme previously diagnosed in the NHS scheme.

And it is said that the most common risk factors reported in positive cases include the injection of drug use, the exchange of needles and other drug utensils and a prison history.

It is assumed that only a very small number that was identified after ordering an online test had a positive result after he received contaminated blood.

In May this year, NHS England also started a system, which means that people of a certain age who newly register with GP practices in England are asked whether they have a blood transfusion before 1996 to find more victims of the infected blood scandal.

The infected blood test, which examined the scandal in detail, recommended that the healthcare system should not “diagnose”.

More than 30,000 people in Great Britain were infected with HIV and hepatitis C after they had given contaminated blood and blood products between the 1970s and the early 1990s.

And more than 3,000 people died as a result, while survivors live with lifelong health effects.

Professor Meghana Pandit, NHS National Medical Director, said: “We want to make it easier for people to gain access to care before hidden viruses such as hepatitis C cause serious damage.

“The Home -Test -Service is available to everyone, and through targeted public relations work in people with a higher risk, we help to avoid thousands, serious diseases and reduce health inequalities.

“If you or someone you know are at risk, order a free and confidential test today via the NHS hepatitis -c -t -test -Website -This could save your life.”

Sema Mandal, deputy director of blood security in British health security, said: “Our data show that the number of people with hepatitis C in England thanks to more people who are tested continues to fall and the treatment that eliminates the virus.

“I am very pleased that 100,000 of the free self -test kits have already been ordered online via NHS, and this should help us to defeat this disease.”

Rachel Halford, Managing Director of Hepatitis C Trust, said: “To achieve 100,000 homes is an incredible milestone if we approach hepatitis C.

“This option of homeland tests enables people with concerns to get a free, confidential test without visiting a clinic. For many hesitating to gain access to health services, this can serve as a lifeline.

“While the injection of drug use remains an essential risk factor, it is equally important to remember those affected by the infected blood scandal – the most devastating disaster in the history of the NHS.

“If you have received a blood transfusion or blood products before 1996, we strongly encourage you to order a test. Even out of safety, this can be invaluable.