Britain is lagging behind other countries in the identification of patients with hepatitis C infection, a global conference will hear today.
Researchers claim that only a third of those infected with the virus have been diagnosed in the UK.
The estimates were being reported to the World Hepatitis Summit in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Campaigners blamed NHS restrictions on drugs, saying this meant people had been discouraged from seeking treatment. They say that just 62,200 people have been diagnosed as infected.
Charles Gore, of the Hepatitis C Trust and president of the World Hepatitis Alliance, said: "Many were diagnosed years ago. They were never informed how deadly hepatitis C can be and they do not know about the new drugs and how extraordinarily effective and easy to take they are."
Dr Homie Razavi, of Lafayette, Colorado, USA, said it was proving hard to find patients to treat. Last year just 10,000 people were treated – but Dr Razavi said that on present trends this could reduce to 5,000 a year.
The conference heard that only nine countries are on track to eliminate the infection. They are Australia, Brazil, Egypt, Georgia, Germany, Iceland, Japan, the Netherlands and Qatar.
Mr Gore said: "This new data shows that elimination of hepatitis C is possible. It also shows more must be done to support governments in tackling viral hepatitis."
He added: "Hepatitis C is a silent killer and there are nearly 70 million people worldwide who need treatment, but we must find them.
"Yet, because of the historic lack of national and international investment in viral hepatitis programmes, the vast majority of patients with hepatitis C – some 80% – remain undiagnosed, and less than 5% are able to access treatment."
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