CDC renews its call for hepatitis C testing for baby boomers
To identify more hidden infections, provide prompt and appropriate care and treatment and avoid tens of thousands of hepatitis C-related illnesses and deaths, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is recommending that all U.S. baby boomers get a one-time test for the hepatitis C virus.
Hepatitis C is an unrecognized health crisis in the United States. This life-threatening infection affects an estimated 3.2 million Americans, most of whom are “baby boomers” (those born from 1945 through 1965). One in 30 baby boomers has been infected with hepatitis C, and most don’t know it. Hepatitis C causes serious liver diseases, including liver cancer (the fastest-rising cause of cancer-related deaths) and is the leading cause of liver transplants in the United States.