Hepatitis C Awareness and Pete Doherty

Vagabond Pete Doherty has donated one of his blood paintings for a charity auction for the awareness of hepatitis C and its prevention.

The auction, along with other events, is to be held on May 28 at El Gran Hotel, Ibiza has been organised by Hepatitis C Trust's GET TESTED! Mission and Pete Tong's International Music Summit .

The campaign is to encourage young people and their partners to get tested to prevent the infection from spreading.

May 19 was World Hepatitis Day and celebrities like Zoe Ball, Pearl Lowe and Jack Davenport have also joined the GET TESTED! Campaign to encourage people of all ages to go for a check-up.

Hepatitis C is an infectious blood borne virus that mainly attacks the liver. If undiagnosed and left untreated it can lead to cirrhosis, liver cancer and death.

Over 130 million people across the world are infected with hepatitis B or C and it kills over one million people a year. It is estimated that 500 million of those infected do not know that they are carrying the virus which highlights the need for people to get tested even if they don't think they have it.

With the donation of Doherty's painting for the auction, more people will hopefully realise the importance of looking after themselves and making sure they go for check-ups on a regular basis.

Charles Gore, the Chief Executive of The Hepatitis C Trust said: "It may be a bit controversial but I can't think of a better way of focussing attention on a virus that is transmitted through blood than a blood painting. Let's not forget this is a virus whose death toll in the UK is forecast to rise sharply in the next few years – unless we can diagnose those infected and off them treatment."