Hepatitis C is a viral liver disease caused by the hepatitis C virus. It is one of the most common infections affecting the liver worldwide. The disease can be acute or chronic and, if left untreated, poses a serious threat to health and life.
Following infection, some people develop acute hepatitis C. Approximately up to 25% of those infected are able to clear the virus naturally without treatment. However, in most cases — around 75% — the infection becomes chronic. This means that the virus remains in the body for more than 6 months and can be detected in the blood.
Chronic hepatitis C often progresses for a long time without noticeable symptoms, but gradually damages the liver. Without treatment, approximately 15–30% of people with chronic hepatitis C develop liver cirrhosis within 20 years. Cirrhosis, in turn, significantly increases the risk of developing liver cancer. At the same time, it is important to know that hepatitis C is a curable disease. Modern diagnostic and treatment methods make it possible to detect the infection in good time, halt liver damage and completely eliminate the virus.
Prevalence
Hepatitis C is a serious global public health problem. It is estimated that approximately 71 million people worldwide are living with hepatitis C, the majority of whom have the chronic form of the infection.
Ukraine has been officially recognised by the WHO as a country with a high prevalence of viral hepatitis. According to data from the Public Health Centre of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine (November 2024), 5% of Ukraine’s population is infected with viral hepatitis C ( HCV), 3.6% have chronic hepatitis – 1,342,418 people in 2024, under medical supervision are only 105,945 people with HCV, i.e. 7.9%, only one in 12 infected people is aware of their diagnosis and has sought help.
These figures highlight the scale of the hidden epidemic and the importance of systematic approaches to the prevention, early detection and treatment of hepatitis C at national and global levels.
We're here to help you navigate these steps with ease and clarity — from testing to the next steps.
