Around a third of people don't know how hepatitis C can be passed from person to person, according to new research commissioned by the Department of Health. The findings come as a major hepatitis C awareness campaign is launched to reach out to the estimated 100,000 people in England who are unaware they have the infection and stop others getting it. The ICM poll reveals that:

- nearly one in four people don't know that hepatitis C can be passed on by sharing needles when injecting drugs;

- one in eight think that hepatitis C can be passed on by kissing;

- about one in six think consuming contaminated food or water can transmit the virus; and

- a third of respondents mistakenly believe that there is a vaccine to protect against infection with hepatitis C

To coincide with the launch of the new campaign the Department is refreshing its suite of resources on hepatitis C for healthcare professionals, producing new patient information leaflets for surgeries, waiting areas, and for dissemination directly to patients. This complements the other resources available to health professionals, which include a quick reference guide to the virus and more detailed medical guidance. All the resources, plus further information and best practice examples, available on a dedicated webpage nhs/hepc/hcp.

Radio and press advertising will remind the public of life experiences that could have exposed them to infection such as injecting drugs or getting tattoos where equipment may not have been sterile.

Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson said:

"Around 100,000 people in England are estimated to be unaware that they have hepatitis C. It can take years or even decades for symptoms to appear, if at all, and if left untreated can lead to liver damage and premature death.
"Fortunately, effective treatment is available, so it's vital that people who may have been at risk of infection seek medical advice and get tested."

Charles Gore, Chief Executive of the Hepatitis C Trust and President of the World Hepatitis Alliance said:

"Twenty years down the line, it's worrying to see the public still believe so many myths around hepatitis C. Education is absolutely essential to eradicating this problem. We are pleased to see the Department of Health campaigning on this issue, but it's now time for both the public and health professionals to take action. We'd urge anyone who feels they might be at risk to get tested, and health professionals to be vigilant to diagnosing patients."

For further information please go to nhs/hepc/hcp.

- ICM Research interviewed 1,457 adults online from 9th - 11th January 2009

- The Department of Health's hepatitis C awareness campaign supports the Hepatitis C Action Plan for England, which seeks to improve the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis C. The Action Plan is available on the DH website at: dh/publications and dh/cmo

- Hepatitis C is a blood-borne virus that can cause chronic infection and lead to serious liver damage (cirrhosis and primary liver cancer). It is recognised as a significant public health problem worldwide. In England it is estimated that there are approximately 200,000 people chronically infected and that the majority of these are probably unaware of their infection. There is currently no vaccine against hepatitis C so prevention of new infections is particularly important

- There is effective antiviral drug treatment for hepatitis C that has been approved by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE)

- Examples of people's life experiences with hepatitis C will be profiled in a number of short film clips for the public about the issues surrounding hepatitis C. These are available on the NHS Choices website

- An online test is also available to members of the public who think they may have come in contact with the virus, which assesses their risk level and provides further information about the virus. Visit nhs/hepc to find out more.

NHS Choices