London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 31, 2025

Hepatitis C home test kits available to most-at-risk in England

Hepatitis C home test kits available to most-at-risk in England

Home test kits for a virus which attacks the liver are now available to order online in England, as the NHS tries to reach those needing treatment.

Hepatitis C tends to affect current or past drug users and people who have had contact with infected blood through a tattoo or medical procedure abroad.

It can lead to liver disease and cancer, but symptoms often go unnoticed for many years.

The NHS website says it can usually be cured by taking a course of tablets.

More than 70,000 people are thought to be living with the virus in England. Some may not know they have it, so would be unlikely to go to their GP for a test.


'My whole body hurt'


Shabana Begum, 55, from Yorkshire, found out she had hepatitis C in 2004 after feeling constantly unwell.

"Every hair on my body hurt, I had insomnia, flu-like symptoms and I was seeing my GP every three or four days," she said.

Shabana would cry for hours on end because her whole body was in pain.

Shabana Begum found out the hepatitis C virus had been in her body for 20 years


She was told she had been living with the virus for 15 to 20 years, and was able to link it to injections she had received when she moved to Pakistan as a teenager.

She remembers the corroded metal syringes that were used at the time, and now spends her time warning others to be cautious when travelling to South Asia, where hepatitis C is regularly found.

"It can be transmitted at the barber's, when getting piercings, a tattoo or other procedures using syringes," she says.

She also goes into communities to promote free, confidential testing.

"For people who feel they don't have time to see their GP or go to community events, they can log in online and just order a test."

The home tests involve a tiny amount of blood from a finger prick being dropped into a test tube, which must then be posted to a lab for analysis.

Those who receive a positive test result will then be contacted and referred for treatment, NHS England says.

Rachel Halford, from charity The Hepatitis C Trust, said it had never been easier to find out if you have hepatitis C.

She said people could be exposed to the virus in a number of ways "including having a blood transfusion before the early 1990s, having medical treatment or a tattoo abroad, or via injecting drugs use".

The disease is endemic in some countries in South Asia including Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, making the risks of being infected higher.

She told BBC Breakfast: "I think one of the problems about Hepatitis C is you can have it for a long time without knowing that you've got it, because the symptoms are very similar to other things.

"So this is a really easy and safe and confidential way to get a test."


What are symptoms of a hepatitis C infection?


Most people do not seem to experience any noticeable symptoms when first infected. Some 25-35% do, but the symptoms often resemble other illnesses.

They can include:

* slight fever

* fatigue

* loss of appetite

* stomach pain

* nausea and vomiting

About 20% of people who develop symptoms experience jaundice (a yellowing of the skin and eyes).

It is estimated that there were 74,600 people living with hepatitis C in England in 2021 - many fewer than just five years before, thanks to better access to antiviral treatments.

Deaths from the virus have also fallen - by a third, from 482 in 2015 to 314 in 2020 in England, and by a similar amount in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

But there is concern that a lack of access to drug services during the Covid pandemic may have halted further progress.

NHS national medical director Prof Sir Stephen Powis said the NHS was "on track" to eliminate hepatitis C as a public health threat by 2030.

"As patient numbers get smaller and each remaining case becomes harder to find and cure, it's vital we offer easy-to-access self-test kits - especially for those who have been exposed to the virus but may be reluctant to come forward," he said.

In the UK in the 1970s and 80s, about 3,000 people died after being given blood products via NHS treatments containing HIV and hepatitis C. A public inquiry on the contaminated blood scandal started in 2019 and is still running.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
×