England set to eliminate hepatitis C in a major health breakthrough 

England is on track to eliminate hepatitis C as a public health threat largely due to a massive public health push and a pioneering commercial drug deal struck by the NHS with pharmaceutical companies.

Over the last decade of targeted intervention, deaths from hepatitis C-related liver disease and cancer have dropped massively by over 35%, and the need for hepatitis C-driven liver transplants has plummeted.

NHS England announced that over 100,000 people have successfully accessed life-saving treatment since 2015.

While the global World Health Organization (WHO) target is set for 2030, NHS England's aggressive domestic strategy and outreach programs have positioned the country to meet or approach its goals ahead of schedule.

The backbone of this success is the widespread availability of modern, highly effective oral antiviral tablets that can cure over 95% of hepatitis C cases within a few weeks, usually with minimal side effects.

A landmark £1 billion commercial agreement with drug manufacturers allowed the NHS to purchase unlimited supplies of these curative drugs under a fixed-price "population-level" contract, removing financial barriers to widespread treatment.

Rather than waiting for patients to come forward, the NHS utilized mobile testing vans, emergency department opt-out testing, prison screening programs, and peer-led support networks to find and treat marginalized or high-risk groups such as people experiencing homelessness or those who use injectable drugs.

Key symptoms:

While symptoms can vary depending on whether the infection is acute or chronic (and some people with chronic hepatitis show no symptoms for years), the most common signs include:

Jaundice: Yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes.

Fatigue: Severe, persistent exhaustion and low energy.

Abdominal Pain: Discomfort or pain in the upper-right side of the abdomen (over the liver).

Digestive Issues: Loss of appetite, nausea, and vomiting.

Urine and Stool Changes: Dark-colored urine and pale, clay-colored stools.

Flu-like Signs: Low-grade fever, muscle aches, and joint pain.

Cure:

Due to modern direct-acting antiviral (DAA) pills, hepatitis C virus is overwhelmingly curable in over 95% of cases with minimal side effects gets recovered through pills.

Currently there is no vaccine for hepatitis C. However, vaccines are available to protect against hepatitis A and hepatitis B, which can also affect the liver.