Allan Dumbleton’s doctor was surprised to see him walking into his office.

In his hands were the sales executive’s test results, and they revealed that Mr Dumbleton's liver was in trouble.

An established hepatitis C infection and a week of partying with clients during the Melbourne Cup carnival had pushed his ALT levels, a measure of liver damage, to about 40 times higher than normal.

Left untreated, hepatitis C does kill. Despite recent and rapid advances in effective cures, it is estimated about 170,000 Australians still have hepatitis C, and are living at risk of its potentially deadly complications.

Mr Dumbleton's doctor told him that if his ALT levels were to increase much more, “you’re dead, man”.