A new rapid test for hepatitis C will soon be rolled out at drug treatment clinics, prisons and needle exchange services nationwide. 

Hepatitis C can cause long-term liver disease while going unnoticed for years. Many people with the condition also have a history of drug use, which is why experts wanted testing that delivers rapid results within an hour.at places of interface with drug users. 

It could see treatment start on the spot, and avoid the need for blood to be drawn from damaged veins. 

The Federal Government has provided $6.5 million for the Kirby Institute at the University of NSW and the International Centre for Point-of-Care Testing at Flinders University to set up the rapid testing system at 65 sites.

Current treatments that can be up to 95 per cent effective against hepatitis C, if medications can be delivered to people who need them.

An estimated 129,640 people were living with chronic hepatitis C in Australia at the end of 2018, and the disease is believed to kill over 700 people per year.

“Australia is committed to achieving the global goal of reducing the burden of viral hepatitis and eliminating viral hepatitis as a major public health threat by 2030,” Health Minister Greg Hunt said in a statement, referring to a set of World Health Organisation targets.

“Indeed, we could be one of the first countries in the world to reach that goal.”