Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy noticeEngland is “on the cusp” of becoming one of the first countries globally to eradicate hepatitis C, health officials have said. NHS England stated that the nation is among a small number of countries worldwide to have already beaten the World Health Organisation benchmark of treating 80% of all known cases. Rachel Halford, chief executive of The Hepatitis C Trust said: “We are on the cusp of one of the most significant public health achievements in our country’s history. open image in gallery Health Secretary Yvette Cooper hailed the news ( PA )Dr Sema Mandal, from the UK Health Security Agency, said: “We are making significant progress towards eliminating hepatitis C as a public health threat.