Hepatitis C

Hepatitis C is a blood-borne virus that infects the liver, where it causes significant inflammation, damage and disruption of normal liver function. According to estimates by the World Health Organization, around 3 to 4 million people worldwide are infected with hepatitis C every year.

What is Hepatitis C?

Hepatitis C infection is a liver infection caused by the Hepatitis C virus. Infection with hepatitis C may damage the liver leading to chronic infection.

Tests for Hepatitis C

Hepatitis C Treatment

Hepatitis C Transmission

How is Hepatitis C Transmitted?

Hepatitis C treatment: no benefits and possible harm

Hepatitis C Epidemiology

HCV and Rheumatic Disease

What is the Hepatitis C Virus?

Chronic Hepatitis C Infection

Hepatitis C Diagnosis

Early and Late Symptoms of Hepatitis C

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Hepatitis C Prevention

Hepatitis C History

Hepatitis C Acute Infection

Is Hepatitis Preventable?

Latest Hepatitis C News and Research

'Me-too' drugs drive increased spending through higher prescribing

A long-running debate over prescription drug costs has centered on whether drug manufacturers are better rewarded for truly innovative medicines or so-called "me-too" drugs that may offer only incremental improvements over existing treatments but still command high prices.

3 Aug 2026

Newly-discovered protein acts as off switch for human immune cells

Mayo Clinic researchers have identified a protein that cancer cells use to shut down the body's immune response, a discovery that could help scientists develop new treatments that make cancer immunotherapies more effective.

3 Aug 2026

Integration is key to fighting global epidemics, WHO reports

The World Health Organization (WHO) today launched a new report assessing progress in implementing the Global Health Sector Strategies (GHSS) on HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) for 2022–2030.

28 Jul 2026

Europe risks missing target to eliminate viral hepatitis by 2030

While Europe has made steady progress in preventing hepatitis B and C, with the prevalence of hepatitis B now at near-zero levels among children below five years old, an uneven implementation of key measures means that the region is set to miss the 2030 target to eliminate viral hepatitis as a public health threat, according to new data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) on World Hepatitis Day.

28 Jul 2026

Strategic healthcare interventions bring Japan close to eliminating hepatitis

Hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV) are viral infections that can lead to health conditions such as cirrhosis, cancer, and potentially death if unmanaged. HBV can be transmitted through sexual contact, blood exposure, and mother-to-child transmission, while HCV is primarily transmitted through blood-to-blood contact.

25 Jun 2026

NIH funding supports development of AI tools to prevent HIV, hepatitis C and overdose

Natasha Martin, DPhil, professor and vice chief of Global Public Health in the Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health at UC San Diego School of Medicine, has been awarded a five-year, $5.6 million Avant-Garde Award from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), one of the most prestigious and competitive NIH research awards.

23 Jun 2026

Study finds critical gaps in prenatal syphilis screening in Ontario

Congenital syphilis is entirely preventable-yet new research shows critical gaps in prenatal screening that are leaving some infants at risk.

19 May 2026

Study reveals persistent gaps in Ontario’s prenatal syphilis screening coverage

According to new research in CMAJ, 1 in 5 pregnant people in Ontario did not receive timely syphilis screening, which is critical for preventing syphilis infection in newborns (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

19 May 2026

DNA-guided CRISPR system targets RNA and expands Cas12 beyond gene editing

Researchers developed ΨDNA, a DNA-based CRISPR guide that allows Cas12 enzymes to target RNA with high specificity while retaining compatibility with DNA-editing workflows. The platform detected HCV RNA in clinical samples and enabled programmable RNA knockdown, multiplex targeting, and RNA modification in human cells.

18 May 2026

New CRISPR breakthrough promises more affordable disease diagnostics

A team of engineers at the University of Florida has developed a new form of CRISPR technology that could make diagnostics and treatments safer, more precise, and more affordable, while opening the door to entirely new ways of controlling disease.

15 May 2026

New imaging technique maps 38000 liver cells to solve fibrosis

The liver is often called a "silent organ," as it can sustain significant damage without obvious symptoms. But when injury is prolonged, whether from alcohol, poor diet, or chronic hepatitis virus infection, it triggers fibrosis: a progressive hardening and scarring of liver tissue.

14 May 2026

Colbopasvir plus sofosbuvir achieves high cure rates in chronic hepatitis C

In this real‑world multicenter study (Wenzhou, China), 113 chronic hepatitis C patients received colbopasvir (60 mg) + sofosbuvir (400 mg) daily for 12 weeks. Overall SVR12 was 99.1% (112/113). SVR12 was 100% for genotypes 3a, 3b, 6a, and compensated cirrhosis, 93.3% for genotype 1b, and 90% for HBV co‑infection.

14 May 2026

Hepatitis C infection associated with reduced portal insulin levels

Insulin resistance is a common extrahepatic manifestation of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection (HCVi), but its mechanism is poorly understood.

28 Apr 2026

WHO report shows measurable progress in reducing global hepatitis infections

Global efforts to combat viral hepatitis are delivering measurable progress in reducing infections and deaths, but the disease remains a major global health challenge, according to a new World Health Organization (WHO) report released today at the World Hepatitis Summit.

28 Apr 2026

Washington’s hepatitis C elimination initiative improves treatment access, reduces costs

It took less than 22 years after the discovery of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) for a fast-acting, highly effective treatment to become available.

23 Apr 2026

Millions of Americans with hepatitis C still remain untreated, analysis reveals

Millions of Americans are still battling potentially deadly hepatitis C even though they could be cured with antiviral drugs they are not receiving, a new analysis reveals.

21 Apr 2026

New blood test spots four cancers and other diseases by stripping away healthy DNA noise

MethylScan is a new low-cost cell-free DNA methylome test that removes much of the healthy blood DNA background, helping rare disease signals stand out more clearly. In more than 1,000 people, it showed strong performance for detecting four cancers, classifying liver diseases, and identifying organ-specific damage.

7 Apr 2026

Study reveals immune changes in HIV and HCV coinfected patients

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/hepatitis C virus (HCV) coinfection leads to severe systemic inflammation, increasing non-AIDS morbidity and mortality risk. CD39 ectoenzyme on T-cells, which catalyzes the conversion of pro-inflammatory purines to immunosuppressive adenosine, plays an important role in inflammation control.

28 Mar 2026

Hepatitis C drug may prevent hepatitis E virus replication

A drug that is already in clinical trials against hepatitis C virus can also prevent hepatitis E virus from replicating.

22 Mar 2026

Acoziborole receives positive opinion for single-dose sleeping sickness treatment

The European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has granted a positive opinion to Acoziborole Winthrop (acoziborole) as a single-dose oral treatment for both early- and advanced-stage gambiense sleeping sickness in adults as well as in adolescents 12 years and older weighing at least 40 kilograms.

27 Feb 2026