This is disturbing information. We as a subset of society, HCV Warriors, have fought so hard to educate and help people to defeat the Dragon, only to be kicked in the teeth again. Do your best to stay healthy, stay informed and educate/advocate for continued research into killing this beast. Our desire to decimate this by 2030 is still foremost in our efforts, but sadly there are many hurdles to cross. Especially when there are so many new obstacles put in the way.
Hepatitis C is increasing dramatically in the United States, particularly among younger adults, and 4 in 10 people don’t even know they have it. Hepatitis C is usually spread through blood, often from injection drug use. Less commonly, hepatitis C is spread through sex or from an infected mother to her infant during pregnancy or childbirth. An acute infection develops when someone is first infected. Some people clear the virus, but most people with acute hepatitis C will develop a long-term (chronic) infection. Left untreated, chronic hepatitis C can cause severe liver damage, liver cancer, and even death. But hepatitis C is curable. The first step to being cured is getting a hepatitis C blood test. CDC now recommends testing:
This is disturbing information. We as a subset of society, HCV Warriors, have fought so hard to educate and help people to defeat the Dragon, only to be kicked in the teeth again. Do your best to stay healthy, stay informed and educate/advocate for continued research into killing this beast. Our desire to decimate this by 2030 is still foremost in our efforts, but sadly there are many hurdles to cross. Especially when there are so many new obstacles put in the way.
Hepatitis C is increasing dramatically in the United States, particularly among younger adults, and 4 in 10 people don’t even know they have it. Hepatitis C is usually spread through blood, often from injection drug use. Less commonly, hepatitis C is spread through sex or from an infected mother to her infant during pregnancy or childbirth. An acute infection develops when someone is first infected. Some people clear the virus, but most people with acute hepatitis C will develop a long-term (chronic) infection. Left untreated, chronic hepatitis C can cause severe liver damage, liver cancer, and even death. But hepatitis C is curable. The first step to being cured is getting a hepatitis C blood test. CDC now recommends testing:
CDC 2020 Recommendations (LINK)