The Health Service Executive is launching a new service today offering free online testing for Hepatitis C.
Up to 3,000 people in Ireland may currently have the blood borne virus, which infects the liver and, if left untreated, can cause serious and potentially life-threatening damage.
The home test, involving a finger prick, will be delivered by post and results communicated by text or phone.
HSE Clinical Lead for the Hepatitis C programme Professor Aiden McCormack has said that there are a lot of people in Ireland that have Hepatitis C and do not know about it as the virus can lie dormant for decades.
He said that anyone who has shared needles in the past or who had a blood transfusion before testing was introduced in 1991, as well as anyone who had surgery in certain countries, should be tested.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, he said: "Basically, if there's any situation where blood or blood products from somebody else got into you, particularly many years ago, then it's important you get checked and Hepatitis C is a dangerous condition.
"It lies silent for 20, 30, 40 years and causes cirrhosis and liver tumours."
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Prof McCormack said that there is treatment available for the virus.
"We have tablets now which can cure the virus in virtually everybody with eight to 12 weeks' treatment," he said.
"So, it's very important people get treated and the difficulty is a lot of people in this country have hepatitis C, they don't know they have hepatitis.
"That's why we're introducing this home testing kit, which you can order."
Although piercing and tattoos are also listed as possible sources of Hep C, Prof McCormack said they "would be an unusual cause of hepatitis C".
"General, we're talking about tattoos, which are done in an unprofessional setting," he said.
"For example, in a prison where people are sharing sharp objects or needles, or which are done, 30-40 years ago, where standards mightn’t be as high.
"Tattoo parlours now are very professional. It's very unlikely you're going to get Hepatitis C from a tattoo done professionally."
He said that Ireland will reach the World Health Organization target of eliminating Hepatitis C by 2030.
"We've done a number of epidemiological studies recently on Hepatitis C," Prof McCormack said.
"We presented our data in Stockholm about three weeks ago and the WHO representative was very happy with our data and felt that we were well on track to clear by 2030."
He explained that when a person orders a test online, it will come by post and people should follow the instructions included. It involves a few drops of blood from a finger prick.
That will be tested and you will get the result by text or phone call if it is positive.
"This is an antibody test, so half the people will have cleared the virus spontaneously, half will need treatment," Prof McCormack said.
"If you need treatment, we have a fast-track system set up through the Hepatitis C nurses at St Vincent’s and we'll get you on treatment within four to six weeks if you wish to have treatment."
For those outside of Dublin, Prof McCormack said treatment will be arranged through one of the regional centres.
