Some of the figures associated with Hepatitis C are staggering. Official figures from the UK suggest that there are currently 38,000 diagnosed cases of Hepatitis C in the UK alone. The official estimate for undiagnosed cases is 200,000, but unofficial estimates now say up to 500,000. About 0.5% of the UK population are infected, and four out of five of those infected don't know it! Worldwide, the infection rate is now estimated to be 3%, with a staggering 170 million people infected.

Official figures say that 60% of the UK prison population are infected, and 35% of injection drug abusers.

In the USA there are an estimated 4.9 million cases (some estimates say up to 15 million).

Quote from the US Health authorities:- Over the next 10-20 years chronic Hepatitis C is expected to become a major burden on the health care system. Many people infected with the virus who have seemingly mild disease will progress to end-stage liver disease and some will develop hepatocellular carcinoma. What we are looking at in the United States during this time is a 60% increase in the incidence of cirrhosis, a 68% increase in hepatoma incidence, a 279% increment in incidence of hepatic decomposition, a 528% increase in the need for transplantation, and a 223% increase in liver death rate.