Health Minister Robin Swann has said hepatitis C could be wiped out in Northern Ireland within five years.
The minister was speaking after his department, alongside the Public Health Agency, published a new action plan to eliminate the disease here by 2025 – five years ahead of the target set by the World Health Organisation.
The virus can infect the liver and, if untreated, cause serious and even life-threatening damage over long periods of time.
It is usually spread through blood-to-blood contact and, due to the way symptoms take a long time to appear, many people can be living with the virus for a long time without knowing.
Mr Swann said: “Eliminating hepatitis C is a long a journey but significant progress has already been made. The roll-out of new oral therapies has helped cure over 97% of people treated and the new action plan will see the condition effectively eliminated here five years ahead of the World Health Organisation’s 2030 target.
“The last year has been a stark reminder of the devastating impact of infectious diseases on individuals and society. I am committed to making hepatitis C increasingly a disease of the past.”