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Between January and March a total of 3,463 laboratory reports of hepatitis C (HCV) were reported to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

There was a 4% decrease in the number of reports compared to the first quarter of 2023 (n=3,594).

Since 2017, one laboratory in the North West of England has undertaken HCV dried blood spot testing alongside routine laboratory testing. This single laboratory has taken on testing for a large part of the country. However, some samples where geographical information is lacking,听may have been incorrectly assigned to this specific laboratory rather than the laboratory from which the sample originated.

Age and sex were well reported (98% complete). Where sex was known, males accounted for 1% of reports (1,775 out of 3,463), which is higher than previous quarters and years.

Adults aged 35 to 44 years accounted for 28% of the total number of hepatitis C reports.

Table 1. Laboratory reports of hepatitis C in England and Wales, January to March 2024*

	Age group	Males	Females	Unknown	Total
1 to 4 years	2听听	听听 0听听	听听 0听听	听听 2	听
5 to 9 years	0听听	听听 2听听	听听 0听听	听听 2	听
10 to 14 years	2听听	听听 3听听	听听 0听听	听听 5	听
15 to 24 years	37听听	听听 28听听	听听 6听听	听听 71	听
25 to 34 years	260听听	听听 122听听	听听 78听听	听听 460	听
35 to 44 years	484听听	听听 216听听	听听 262听听	听听 962	听
45 to 54 years	468听听	听听 175听听	听听 280听听	听听 923	听
55 to 64 years	292听听	听听 137听听	听听 124听听	听听 553	听
鈮�65 years	211听听	听听 170听听	听听 29听听	听听 410	听
Unknown	19听听	听听 10听听	听听 46听听	听听 75	听
Total	1,775听	听863听	听 825听	听 3,463	听

*Provisional data

Notes: Individuals aged under 1 year are excluded, since positive tests in this age group may reflect the presence of passively-acquired maternal antibody rather than true infection. Laboratory reports are not reliable for differentiating acute and chronic hepatitis C infections. Laboratory reports include individuals with a positive test for hepatitis C antibody, antigen and/or detection of hepatitis C RNA. A small proportion of these specimens are diagnosed following dried blood spot (DBS) testing, however not all DBS testing is reported by laboratories.

In Table 2, laboratory reports are presented broken down by Operational Delivery Network (ODN). ODNs were launched in July 2013 following the publication of the NHS England strategy to sustain and develop clinical networks.

ODNs are the networks through which hepatitis C treatment is being delivered across England. Between January and March 2024, 2,945 out of 3,463 individuals in England had been allocated to an ODN.

Table 2. Laboratory reports of hepatitis C by Operational Delivery Network, January to March 2024

Primary ODN	Total
Barts	153
Birmingham	152
Bristol and Severn	158
Cheshire and Merseyside	146
Eastern Hepatitis Network	121
Greater Manchester and Eastern Cheshire	322
Humberside and North Yorkshire	27
Kent Network via Kings	22
Lancashire and South Cumbria	120
Leicester	116
North Central London	144
North East and Cumbria	185
Nottingham	150
South Thames Hepatitis Network	201
South West Peninsula	39
South Yorkshire	81
Surrey Hepatitis Services	112
Sussex Hepatology Network	60
Thames Valley Hep C ODN	44
Wessex Hep C ODN	126
West London	306
West Yorkshire	160

ODNs are based on NHS England Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) geographic boundaries. NHS England allocates a primary or lead ODN for CCGs which may cross more than one ODN.