This video provides a graphic depiction of how to decrease spread of hepatitis C via injection drug use. Early diagnosis allows people who are infected to receive treatment sooner rather than later, and prevent progression to more serious disease, such as cirrhosis (extensive scarring in the liver) and liver cancer. Refer to our selected links for more information on hepatitis C transmission (spread).ĭeaths from HCV-related liver disease are an important cause of death. Remember that sharing straws/bills when using cocaine (even once many years ago) is also a risk factor for having HCV.
They also advocate periodic testing for persons with an increased risk of HCV exposure, annual HCV testing for people who inject drugs (PWID) and HIV-infected men who have unprotected sex with men, and one-time testing for all persons younger than 18 years at increased risk of HCV. society guidelines from the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) and the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) endorsing onetime, routine, opt-out HCV screening for all individuals 18 years and older. These recommendations are consistent with November 2019 modified U.S. The USPSTF also counseled that those outside this age range at high risk of infection be screened. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) updated recommendations advising that clinicians screen all adults aged 18 to 79 for HCV at least once, regardless of their risk level for contracting the disease. CDC continues to instruct that people with risk factors be tested regularly. The CDC also recommended HCV screening for all women who are pregnant during each pregnancy. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released revised HCV testing recommendations, advising universal HCV screening for all adults – not just persons born from 1945 to 1969 and those with risk factors. Treatment scale-up can decrease prevalence and incidence, and makes possible elimination of the United States’ biggest infectious disease killer (aside from SARS-CoV-2), saving $3.3–3.8 billion in future health care costs. Cure reduces risk for developing cirrhosis, liver failure, liver cancer, HCV complications outside the liver, and the need for liver transplantation. HCV treatment with DAAs leading to cure can improve quality of life, slow liver disease progression and stem transmission. These medications are called direct-acting antiviral (DAA) agents.
There are many highly effective pills now available that can cure hepatitis C in most people, most of the time – safely. In the U.S., approximately 39% of people with HCV are unaware that they are infected.Ĭ is for CURE – HCV is a curable infection. Symptoms of HCV infection may not appear for many years. It is estimated that over 2.4 million people in the U.S. Hepatitis C is a liver disease resulting from chronic infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV).
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