Hepatitis C Most Dangerous Infectious Disease In U.S.: CDC Reports

According to new research, Hepatitis C deaths have reached an all-time high in the United States, with half of the estimated 3.5 million people infected going untested and remaining unaware they are transmitting the curable disease until it reaches a fatal state. 

In a report published this week in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, researchers with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate that deaths linked to hepatitis C reached 19,649 fatalities in 2014, which is the highest recorded number and surpasses the total combined fatalities linked to 60 other infectious diseases.

The new data suggests that hepatitis C fatalities are on the rise due to the aging of baby boomers, who were born from 1945 to 1965, and have been living with the infection for most of their lives due to unsafe blood transfusion methods used after World War II.

According to the study, this age range was the highest susceptible to hepatitis C transmissions following WWII, when injections and blood transfusion technologies were not as safe as they are today.

Researchers further indicate that the majority of the group has not been tested to receive a diagnosis or treatment, consequently allowing life-threatening hepatitis C-related diseases and liver cancers to worsen to advanced stages.

The study also identified an increase in hepatitis C infections in young, Caucasian males with a history of drug injection use in the Midwest and Eastern United States. The researchers found that since 2010, the number of hepatitis C diagnosis amongst this category of young white males more than doubled from 2010 to 2014, increasing to 2,194 reported cases.

“Because hepatitis C often has few noticeable symptoms, the number of new cases is likely much higher than what is reported. Due to limited screening and underreporting, we estimate the number of new infections is closer to 30,000 per year,” CDC’s Division of Viral Hepatitis director John W. Ward, said in a press release. “We must act now to diagnose and treat hidden infections before they become deadly and to prevent new infections.”

The study indicates that nearly 20,000 people with hepatitis C infections died in 2014, surpassing the mortality rate of nearly 60 other infectious disease including HIV, pneumococcal disease, and tuberculosis combined.

In response to the findings, the CDC is currently looking to address viral hepatitis risks among individuals sharing needles from drug use and to create comprehensive prevention programs to avert preventable drug-related hepatitis C transmissions. The CDC has suggested the programs to include regular testing for hepatitis C, as well as hepatitis B and HIV, and provide rapid medical care outlets for those who test positive so they can access substance abuse treatment and other recovery services.

Currently, the CDC and the U.S. Preventive Task Force recommend at least one-time hepatitis C testing for anyone born throughout the baby boomer era, urging that patients take advantage of highly effective treatments that can cure majority of infections in just two or three months. However, neglecting to get tested only prolongs treatment and allows the condition to further develop, often leading to the development of liver cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Furthermore, neglecting to be tested poses a risk to society, potentially spreading the disease unknowingly.