Last updated 14:22, Thursday, 03 July 2008

Hepatitis is a potentially fatal virus which is transmitted through blood then attacks the liver.

It has been dubbed ‘the silent epidemic’ because symptoms are vague and many do not realise they have the disease until it reaches an advanced stage.

In Hepatitis C liver damage occurs slowly over 20-30 years and can result in cirrhosis, cancer and eventual failure of the organ.

The main causes of infection are: pre 1991 transfusions; drug addicts sharing needles and snorting straws; sharing razors; having tattoos in unhygienic parlours and medical and dental procedures abroad.

Mothers can also pass the virus on to their babies.

There are up to 466,000 people with Hepatitis C in England, related deaths have trebled over the last ten years.

There is no vaccine but treatment is available.

The groups of people at high risk of Hepatitis B are the same as Hepatitis C, with the addition of those having unprotected sex.

It can cause either short term acute illness, which will often resolve itself, or long term chronic illnesses which may lead to cirrhosis and cancer.

More than one million people across Europe are infected with Hepatitis B each year. There is a vaccination and some experts want to make it a childhood immunisation.

If the infection lasts more than six months (chronic hepatitis infection), a hospital liver specialist may recommend an antiviral drug treatment called alpha interferon. This treatment aims to reduce the risk of permanent liver damage (cirrhosis) and liver cancer.