The HSE’s National Hepatitis C Treatment programme has launched a free Hepatitis C online service - www.hse.ie/hepc - which provides people with the option to test for Hepatitis C.

The free Hepatitis C home test will allow people to order a Hepatitis C test online and carry out the finger prick test at home. Adults can order a free Hepatitis C test from hse.ie/hepc, which will be delivered to their home by post. Users complete the tests at home and post the sample to the laboratory in a pre-paid envelope provided.

Individuals receive their results by text or phone. Those who require follow on treatment will be referred to participating clinics or hospitals. Treatment for Hepatitis C is free, tablets are effective and well-tolerated, with over 95% of people cured in as little as 8 to 12 weeks. The new home testing service could help people unknowingly living with Hepatitis C to get a life-saving diagnosis and treatment sooner.

People who should get tested for Hepatitis C if you:

• have ever shared needles or equipment to inject any type of drug, even if you've only injected once
• have ever shared equipment to snort or sniff drugs
• have ever been in prison
• have a tattoo, especially if you got it a long time ago or in a non-professional setting or in a prison
• are from a country where Hepatitis C is common
• have ever received blood or blood products in another country where blood donations are not tested
• have ever had medical or dental treatment in a country where Hepatitis C is common and infection control is poor
• were born to a mother who had Hepatitis C at the time of your birth
• are a man who takes part in chemsex or has condomless, rough or extreme sex with men
• are a man who has sex with men and you have HIV
• have lived with someone with Hepatitis C and there is a chance they may have passed it on
• received an organ transplant in Ireland before 1992
• had sexual contact with an injecting drug user.