Hepatitis C is a virus that can infect and damage the liver. The virus is found in the blood of people who have this disease, and is spread primarily by contact with the blood of an infected person.The main route of transmission in the UK is by injecting drug misusers sharing contaminated equipment.

Most people who acquire hepatitis C will live out their normal life span, many without knowing they have the disease. Those who develop chronic infection will have mild liver damage, but for some people with chronic infection, cirrhosis will develop after 20-30 years, and for a very small percentage of people, liver cancer will result.