Chester has become one of the first areas in the country to effectively eliminate hepatitis C.

The city has recently achieved official micro-elimination status, meaning the virus has been brought under control in the community for the first time ever since the Hepatitis C Elimination campaign began in 2015, and is no longer a common threat locally.

It follows sustained work by the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and local services, which have reduced cases to what is known as micro-elimination level.

While it has not disappeared completely, numbers are now low enough that it is no longer spreading in the way it once did.

The achievement places Cheshire West and Chester among the first areas in England to meet national standards set by NHS England and The Hepatitis C Trust.

The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has played a key role in the work, alongside the Cheshire and Merseyside Operational Delivery Network and local recovery services, to identify and treat people living with the virus.

Alongside hospital treatment, teams have also brought liver health services into the community to reach people who might not usually access NHS care.

Much of the progress is credited to Jayne Rose, community hepatology specialist nurse at the Trust, who has worked with drug and alcohol services and regional partners to expand testing and treatment.

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"Achieving micro elimination status means we've protected people's health, prevented future illness and shown what's possible when the community comes together."