A man who has fully recovered from hepatitis C is urging anyone who may have been at risk of contracting the virus to get tested, saying a simple course of treatment "gave me my life back".

Andy Green, who works for the NHS in Wales, is sharing his experience as health professionals encourage more people to come forward for testing, warning that untreated hepatitis C can lead to serious liver disease and liver cancer.

Andy was diagnosed with hepatitis C while living in the United States during the 1990s after seeking medical advice for extreme fatigue. Although he still does not know how he contracted the virus, he says the response from his doctor immediately put him at ease.

"My diagnosis was a shock and I don't know how I got it. But the doctor wasn't interested in how I acquired it and so immediately I felt there was no stigma and we just focused on treating the illness," he said.

After later moving to Wales following his marriage to a Welsh woman, Andy was able to receive treatment through the Blood Borne Virus Team in South Wales.

The treatment consisted of a short course of daily tablets, which successfully cleared the virus with virtually no side effects.

"It was just a few weeks of taking a daily tablet. I had no side effects, and then all of a sudden, the virus was completely gone.

"It was like having my life back – a huge weight off my shoulders. I'd always had a fear in the back of my mind that my daughter could pick it up from me by accident, and that fear has completely gone now."

Health experts say Andy's experience reflects the advances made in treating hepatitis C, with highly effective medicines now able to cure the vast majority of infections quickly and safely.

Several hundred people receive treatment for hepatitis C in Wales every year. However, because many people experience few symptoms, or only vague symptoms such as tiredness, loss of appetite, nausea, stomach pain or jaundice, the infection is often described as a "silent" disease and can remain undiagnosed for many years.

Hepatitis C is a blood-borne virus. In the UK, transmission can occur through sharing equipment used to inject or smoke drugs, including needles and crack pipes, or through unprotected sex with someone who has hepatitis C. There is also a risk associated with tattoos, piercings, Botox or cosmetic filler procedures carried out at unlicensed or unregulated premises, as well as some medical or dental treatment undertaken overseas where hygiene standards may differ from those in the UK.

If left untreated, chronic hepatitis C can lead to serious complications including cirrhosis, liver failure and liver cancer.

Dr Daniel Thomas, Consultant Epidemiologist at Public Health Wales, said early diagnosis was key.

"Hepatitis C is a silent disease that can cause long-term illness, but with a simple blood test and effective medicines it is easy to diagnose and very easy to treat. Anyone with any risk should definitely get tested through the Public Health Wales Test and Post service. Get tested. Get treated. Get cured."

Testing is available through a number of routes, including the free and confidential Public Health Wales Test and Post service, with officials encouraging anyone who believes they may have been exposed to the virus to come forward.

Andy hopes sharing his own story will encourage others not to delay seeking help.

"I would advise anyone with concerns to get tested. The treatment is really easy to manage, and the cure has given me a new-found freedom."

Public Health Wales says increasing awareness and encouraging testing among people who may have been exposed to hepatitis C is an important part of efforts to eliminate the virus as a public health threat in Wales, ensuring more people receive life-changing treatment before serious liver damage develops.