A person can carry the virus for decades without any symptoms, until major, and often fatal, liver disease develops.

Ward says the successes of the fight against HIV/AIDS could serve as a roadmap for battling hepatitis C. That includes more testing of people at risk, especially those born between 1945 and 1965, and developing a robust treatment network to reach patients with the latest generation of effective medicines.

"And when we say effective, we're really talking about eliminating the viral infection - essentially, a cure of the infection, not lifelong or ongoing chronic therapy, but a course of treatment that for 70 percent of persons can lead to elimination of the virus."

He says the effort could save 80-120,000 lives over the coming years.