Bottom Line: Hepatitis C virus infection is a major cause of illness and death in the United States and injection drug use is likely fueling many new cases. This study, which used survey and vital statistics data, suggests about 1 percent of adults (0.93 percent) were living with hepatitis C from 2013 to 2016, and how common infections were varied by state and region. Nine states accounted for about 52 percent of all people living with hepatitis C (California, Texas, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Tennessee and North Carolina). The highest rates of infection were frequently in states heavily impacted by the opioid crisis, with 5 of 9 states with the highest number of hepatitis C infections in the Appalachian region. The results of this observational study could help to guide state-level prevention and treatment efforts because the resources necessary will vary by jurisdiction.
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Authors: Eli S. Rosenberg, Ph.D., University at Albany School of Public Health, State University of New York, Rensselaer, New York, and coauthors
To Learn More: The full study is available on the For The Media website.
(doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2018.6371)
Editor's Note: The article contains conflict of interest and funding/support disclosures. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.
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