60,000 Brits at Risk of Hepatitis C Death

At least 400,000 Brits are infected with hepatitis C and 360,000 of them are estimated to be unaware they're carrying the virus, the British Liver Trust announced this week.

According to the new report, 60,000 are likely to develop life-threatening diseases such as cirrhosis and liver cancer though may be unaware of their condition up to 30 years after being infected. Intravenous (needle) drug use, unsanitary tattoos and blood transfusions are the commonest routes of infection while it's also transmitted (less frequently) through unprotected sex. People who've had blood transfusions before 1992 are particularly at risk, since before then, doctors were unable to test for it.

http://www.niddk.nih.gov/health/digest/pubs/hep/hepc/hepc.htm#6
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• hepatitis