Hepatitis C a latent legacy of baby boomers' youth

In an article published today by the Los Angeles Times  journalist Anna Gorman discusses the increase of hepatitis c infections and the push for nationwide testing by federal officials. The author writes according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  three in four of the estimated 3.2 million people who have chronic hepatitis C are baby boomers.

Hepatitis C a latent legacy of baby boomers' youth
 By Anna Gorman, Los Angeles Times

May 2, 2012

"We have sort of a perfect storm of an age wave of people who are moving through time who are progressively becoming sicker from an infection that was acquired several decades ago," said John Ward, director of the Division of Viral Hepatitis at the CDC. "We think we are at a very critical juncture." 

Many boomers unknowingly contracted the virus in younger years from using drugs or having blood transfusions before screening was improved during the AIDS crisis. Unaware of the risk and without symptoms, most have never been tested for hepatitis C and don't know they have it. The disease — primarily contracted through blood — often remains hidden for decades while it slowly destroys liver cells. There is no vaccine. 

The CDC recommendation is coming in an era when safer, faster and more effective drug treatments are becoming available, and more are being tested. The new medications still have side effects but increase the odds of suppressing the virus and its complications, according to research.

Health officials say the new medications, although they aren't cheap, are far less costly than liver transplants and liver cancer treatment, which can climb into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

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