England is on course to become one of the first countries in the world to eliminate hepatitis C as a public health threat, a virus that silently attacks the liver and can lead to cirrhosis, liver cancer and liver failure. The turning point is a short course of pills that cures the large majority of cases, according to figures announced by NHS England on August 11, 2026.
The same class of drugs is FDA-approved and available in the United States, where an estimated 2.4 million people are living with the infection and many do not know it.
Since NHS England rolled out the new antivirals in 2015, more than 100,000 people have been diagnosed and treated, and deaths from the virus have fallen by 36 percent over the last ten years. NHS England projects an 80 percent drop in hepatitis C-related liver transplants over the next decade.
How England pulled ahead
The strategy combines aggressive outreach with a treatment that actually works. NHS teams have targeted drug services and prisons, and a first-of-its-kind program that tests patients having blood taken in emergency departments (A&E) has identified 1,900 previously undiagnosed cases since 2022.
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"Treating over 100,000 people in just ten years is a remarkable achievement and brings England closer than ever to becoming one of the first countries in the world to eliminate this disease as a public health threat," said Dr Sema Mandal of the UK Health Security Agency.
England is now on track to beat the World Health Organization's 2030 elimination target, which asks countries to treat 80 percent of diagnosed cases.
The same pills are on US shelves
The breakthrough drugs are called direct-acting antivirals, or DAAs. Sofosbuvir, marketed as Sovaldi by Gilead, was FDA-approved in December 2013 and paved the way for combination pills such as Harvoni (ledipasvir/sofosbuvir), Epclusa (sofosbuvir/velpatasvir) and Mavyret (glecaprevir/pibrentasvir) from AbbVie.
Most regimens take 8 to 12 weeks and clear the virus in the large majority of people who complete treatment. A pivotal trial published in The New England Journal of Medicine reported sustained virologic response in 97 to 99 percent of previously untreated genotype 1 patients treated with ledipasvir-sofosbuvir.
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Why so many Americans still have it
Hepatitis C spreads when infected blood enters another person's bloodstream. The most common route in the United States is sharing needles or other equipment for injection drug use, but the virus can also be passed through unsterilized tattoo or piercing tools, from mother to baby at birth, and, less often, through sexual contact involving blood.
Many people carry the virus for years without noticeable symptoms while it quietly scars the liver. That is why so many cases go undetected until organ damage is advanced.
Two groups in the US carry an outsized share of the burden. Adults born between 1945 and 1965, often called Baby Boomers, have long shown elevated prevalence tied to exposures from decades ago, which is why the CDC previously singled them out for one-time testing. The opioid epidemic has since driven new infections among younger adults who inject drugs, which is one of the reasons the CDC moved to universal adult screening in 2020.
Who the CDC says should get tested
In 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention broadened its testing guidance. The current recommendation is hepatitis C screening at least once in a lifetime for all adults aged 18 and older, and testing during each pregnancy.
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People with ongoing risk factors, including a history of injection drug use or HIV, should be tested periodically. The CDC also notes that anyone who requests a hepatitis C test should get one, regardless of what they disclose about risk.
If you have never been screened, or if you have a possible exposure and any symptoms such as fatigue, jaundice or unexplained abdominal pain, talking to a primary care provider is the practical next step. A single blood test can start the conversation, and if positive, a short course of pills can end it.
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