Raised hep C awareness lead to 10% rise in England diagnosis

The number of newly-diagnosed cases of hepatitis C infection in England reached 8,346 in 2006 - 10% higher than in 2005, according to latest figures released by the Health Protection Agency. The HPA's annual report for 2007 on hepatitis C suggests that the effort to raise awareness of the disease is encouraging more people to be tested.

There has been a considerable increase in the attention paid to hepatitis C over the last 12 months. This follows the launch of a National Health Service campaign aimed at health care professionals and the public, which saw visits to the NHS web site (www.hepc.nhs.uk) and Hepatitis C Information Line more than double. The late Dame Anita Roddick, who was diagnosed with hepatitis C and campaigned until her death to raise awareness and to encourage people to get tested, undoubtedly made a significant contribution to the increase in media coverage about hepatitis C, notes the HPA.