CDC: Hepatitis C infections nearly triple over five years

The number of new hepatitis C infections reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention nearly tripled between 2010 and 2015 to 2,436 a year. Because limited surveillance resources have led to underreporting, CDC estimates the actual number of new infections is closer to 34,000 a year. While three-quarters of the 3.5 million Americans living with hepatitis C are baby boomers, the agency said new infections are rising most rapidly among young people, primarily due to injection drug use associated with the opioid epidemic. “Stopping hepatitis C will eliminate an enormous disease and economic burden for all Americans,” said John Ward, M.D., director of CDC’s Division of Viral Hepatitis. “We have a cure for this disease and the tools to prevent new infections. Now we need a substantial, focused and concerted national effort to implement the National Viral Hepatitis Action Plan and make effective prevention tools and curative treatment available to Americans in need.”