What do the following famous five, ’Beach Boys’ guitarist David Marks, Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler, Clash drummer Topper Headon, The Body Shop founder Dame Anita Roddick, and society It girl Jazzy de Lisser, all have in common?  

They’ve all been diagnosed with hepatitis C, which can affect people from all walks of life and can remain undetected for many years. As a Department of Health awareness campaign gets underway, everyone is reminded to be alert to the risks of infection.
David Marks, founder member of the Beach Boys, helping to launch the new wave of advertising, said:
“I don’t know exactly how I contracted hepatitis C, having been exposed to multiple risk factors in my past including experimentation with drugs. Injecting drug use is not the only way of getting hepatitis C though. So I urge anyone who’s potentially at risk to take it seriously and get tested, to protect their own health and that of others. After treatment I’m now virus-free – a simple blood test saved my life and it could save yours too.”
David Marks, Beach Boys’ guitarist, Steven Tyler, lead singer of Aerosmith, and Topper Headon, The Clash’s drummer, are all thought to have become infected through injecting drug use. However, there are other ways in which hepatitis C can be transmitted as demonstrated by socialite Jazzy de Lisser, who was born with the infection having acquired it from her mother. The Body Shop founder, Dame Anita Roddick, contracted the infection following a blood transfusion in the early ‘70s.

Dr Kosh Agarwal, Consultant Hepatologist at King’s College Hospital, London said:
“These celebrities show that there are a range of ways you can contract hepatitis C – what’s important isn’t how you got it, but to make sure you get tested and get access to treatment if you think you might be at risk. Drug therapy to treat hepatitis C can successfully clear the virus in more than half of patients treated, with success rates rising to 80% for some strains. We can treat hepatitis C – the biggest barrier is not realising you have it.”
Before visiting their GP, people concerned that they may have hepatitis C are advised to self-assess their possible risk using the NHS Choices website or confidential telephone hotline. Currently, the greatest risk of transmission in this country is through sharing equipment for injecting drugs. 

You may also be at risk of infection if you received a blood transfusion before September 1991 or blood products before 1986 in the UK.
Other less common ways the virus is passed on include:
•       from infected mother to baby, before or during birth
•       through unprotected sex with someone who has the virus
•       by medical/dental treatment abroad, where unsterile equipment may have been used
•       by tattooing, ear or body piercing, acupuncture, electrolysis and semi-permanent make-up where unsterile equipment may have been used
•       by sharing razors or toothbrushes that may have been contaminated with blood from someone who is infected.
If you think you are at risk of having contracted hepatitis C, please visit our website at www.nhs.uk/hepc or call our free and confidential information line on 0800 181 4114.