Americans Harvey J Alter and Charles M Rice, and British-born scientist Michael Houghton have been awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine or Physiology on Monday for the discovery of the hepatitis C virus.
The virus is a major source of liver disease that affects millions worldwide and the work of these three scientists dates back to the 1970s and 1980s. The Nobel committee while announcing the award in Stockholm said that their work has helped save millions of lives.
The World Health Organization estimates there are over 70 million cases of hepatitis worldwide and 400,000 deaths each year.