More than a quarter of a million people in England could be living with a serious liver infection, health officials have warned.
Hepatitis B, known as the “silent disease” or hepatitis B, was previously thought to affect only about 206,000 adults nationwide.
But officials at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) found the figure is almost a third higher, at an estimated 268,767, or one in every 200 people in England, most of them undiagnosed.
However, rates of the virus, which is transmitted through contaminated blood, are more than doubled to more than one in 100 people in London.
Experts argued today that it was “essential” that health chiefs take urgent action to tackle the condition, particularly as many people will not even know they are infected.
Hepatitis B has few noticeable symptoms in the early stages, but if left untreated it can lead to serious liver disease, including liver cancer, and may even prove fatal years after the initial infection.
Hepatitis B, known as the “silent disease” or hepatitis B, was previously thought to affect only about 206,000 adults nationwide. But officials at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) found the figure is almost a third higher, at an estimated 268,767, or one in every 200 people in England, with most undiagnosed.
However, rates of the virus, which is transmitted through contaminated blood, have more than doubled to more than one in 100 people in London. Experts said today it was “essential” that health officials take urgent action to tackle the disease, especially as many people will not even know they are infected.
The latest UKHSA data suggests cases are highest among people aged 30 to 49, with an estimated 128,695.
They are followed by people over 50 years of age, with an estimated total of 85,292 cases.
While diagnoses of new cases of hepatitis B declined between 2019 and 2021, they have since returned to pre-pandemic levels.
This comes after the Government recently revealed that a pilot programme of testing for blood-borne viruses in A&E departments led to 646 people being diagnosed with hepatitis B in its first year of operation.
“It has highlighted the scale of undiagnosed hepatitis B infections in the community and the need to expand access to testing,” UKHSA said.
There are now plans to expand this testing program from 33 sites across the country to include an additional 47.
Pamela Healy, chief executive of the British Liver Trust charity, said: ‘Testing people in emergency departments has shown the scale of the problem that needs to be addressed.
‘Thousands of people are living with undiagnosed hepatitis B and are unaware that they are infected.
‘Many people at risk and those living with the disease avoid seeking treatment for fear of stigma and misconceptions, especially since there are often no symptoms in the early stages.
“Raising awareness and providing accurate information is essential to encourage testing and treatment.”
A survey this month by the British Liver Trust also found that only 2 per cent of people could name hepatitis as a risk factor for liver disease.
Health officials have long agreed that most cases in England are among migrants who acquired the infection abroad before arriving in the UK.
Communities most at risk of infection in the UK include people who inject drugs, gay, bisexual and men who have sex with men, sex workers and people in prisons or immigration detention centres.
One of the most common routes of infection worldwide is the transmission of infection from women to their babies during childbirth.
Since the late 1990s, all pregnant women in England have been offered a prenatal blood test for hepatitis B.
Every year around 2,000 women test positive for hepatitis B in England and their babies are offered the hepatitis B vaccine from birth.
Hepatitis, of which there are multiple types, often has no noticeable symptoms.
But signs of infection include dark urine, pale gray stools, itchy skin, and yellowing of the eyes and skin.
People who are infected may also experience muscle and joint pain, high fever, feeling and being unusually sick and tired all the time, according to the NHS.
Experts warn, however, that living with hepatitis B “often subjects people to a stigma, meaning fewer people seek potentially life-saving treatments.”
Symptoms of liver cancer include jaundice, weight loss, and a swollen abdomen or lump.
Dr Ahmed Elsharkawy, consultant hepatologist at University Hospital Birmingham NHS Trust, said: ‘Lack of awareness and stigma surrounding hepatitis B and C are major barriers to treatment.
We need to create an environment where people feel safe to come forward for testing and treatment.
‘Education is key to dispelling myths and reducing the stigma associated with these infections.’
The NHS has set itself the goal of eliminating another type of hepatitis, hepatitis C (hep C), by 2025, five years ahead of the World Health Organisation target.
In England, hepatitis C deaths have fallen by 35% in six years, far exceeding the 10% target. They are also at their lowest level in 20 years.
