Sussex marks World Hepatitis Day in effort to raise awareness of illness
Some 300 million people are living with various forms of the virus today
Sussex is marking World Hepatitis Day in an effort to raise awareness and reduce the stigma of the illness.
The annual event takes place across the world to highlight the plight of 300 million people who live with the disease.
According to the latest figures, a total of 1.3 million people died due to the illness, equating to about 3,500 people a day.
As a result, initiatives are held to provide extra support to those living with the condition and improve the public's understanding.
Samantha May from the Hepatitis C Trust in Sussex told Greatest Hits Radio said the event was important as it can help to get people talking on the disease.
"It gives us a great opportunity to get the message out there to people about getting tested," she said. "There's fantastic treatments available that can cure you.
"Unfortunately, Hep C is often referred to as the time bomb virus because you can have it for a long time with no symptoms, so you're not aware that you've got it - and many people aren't aware that they've been at risk in the past."
May added that due to the conditions long association with narcotics, the shame attached to having the disease leads many to not get tested.
"The nature of hepatitis C is that it's a bloodborne virus, an infectious virus, and its strong association with drug use means that many people feel very badly stigmatised," May added.
"There's a lot of confusion and muddling it up with other illnesses. And so it's very difficult for people to feel open and speak to others."
Samantha added that she hopes the events will help people get thinking about the disease and come forward with their concerns.
"With the proper awareness out there about this illness and getting people tested, getting them treated, preventing the infection from continuing to be passed on to other people, we can move towards eliminating hepatitis worldwide - and the World Health Organisation have set a goal of 2030 for that."