Hepatitis C virus (HCV) was first identified in 1987, and it is now believed that almost 300 million people are infected. The first six months after infection are referred to as acute hepatitis. After that the disease is called chronic hepatitis. Hepatitis C treatment conventionally involved antiviral drugs like ribavarin, Pegasys and PEG-Intron. These often have quite bad, and physically demanding, side effects, especially difficult for some patients such as ex-drug and alcohol abusers, and some may favor homeopathic treatments.