BRITAIN is heading towards a hepatitis C crisis, an expert at Southampton University has warned.
Professor William Rosenburg says estimated case numbers are a "gross underestimate" and claims the NHS is facing a time-bomb of potentially fatal liver problems.
His warning to hospital bosses comes as the government releases figures suggesting there are 250,000 people currently infected with the blood-borne virus, which causes inflammation and damage to the liver.
Professor Rosenburg puts the number at 500,000, with only 3,000 people being treated.
"In 20 or 30 years, we will be facing a flood of people with end stage liver disease, for which the NHS is under-prepared," he said.
An estimated 30 per cent of patients will develop fatal cirrhosis of the liver if the condition is left untreated for more than 20 years.
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