Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV). It is one of the most common blood-borne virus infections in India. Around 12-18 million people in India are believed to harbour hepatitis C virus. However, many people with the infection do not know that they have it. Hepatitis C virus causes both acute and chronic infection. New HCV infections are usually asymptomatic. Some persons get acute hepatitis which does not lead to a life-threatening disease. Around 15–45% of infected population spontaneously clear the virus within 6 months of infection without any treatment. The rest 55–85% of the infected population will develop chronic HCV infection. Of those with chronic HCV infection, the risk of cirrhosis ranges between 15% and 30% within 20 years.

The virus spread through contaminated hypodermic needle injury, unsterile tattoo equipment, blood transfusion etc. Most of the infected population remain asymptomatic while those who develop symptoms may have fatigue, nausea, loss of appetite and yellowing of the eyes and skin. Q-Lisa HCV, a third generation qualitative enzyme immunoassay is based on Indirect ELISA in which a 96 well plate is pre-coated with recombinant HCV antigens.The kit is intended for screening blood donors before transfusion and the individuals at risk for hepatitis C in clinical lab setups.