Hepatitis C, a virus that infects 170 million people worldwide, has been labelled the 'silent epidemic' as a result of its concealed attack on the liver. This multidisciplinary overview covers basic concepts related to the discovery of the virus, development of serological and nucleic acid tests to detect infection, the structure of the virus genome, generation of virus gene products, proposed replication scheme, and then goes on to introduce the epidemiology, transmission, pathogenesis of infection, the development of hepatocellular carcinoma associated with chronic virus infection, and current strategies for treatment.