The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is warning the public about the rise in cases of hepatitis C infection based on a new study. The virus' spread, which is transmitted by blood, has been on the decline in previous years, but because of the proliferation of prescription painkiller addictions, particularly among young adults in white rural communities, the problem has apparently returned.
Cases of hepatitis C reported from 2006 to 2012 have tripled in 4 key states in the United States, such as Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. About 70 percent of these cases are said to be related to injection-drug abuse, according to the Wall Street Journal, with those under 30 years old as the most likely users.
The CDC's findings reported a pattern among these states, while also learning that the number of those who have been admitted to treatment facilities for substance abuse, have increased by 21 percent.
"Taken together, these increases indicate a geographic intersection among opioid abuse, drug injecting, and HCV infection in central Appalachia and underscore the need for integrated health services in substance-abuse treatment settings to prevent HCV infection and ensure that those who are infected receive medical care," the researchers wrote in the report, according to the Wall Street Journal.
While the study has a discovered glaring developments for hepatitis C cases, it is less clear about the effects of what this epidemic can lead to, in relation to HIV cases. Hepatitis C is often accompanied by HIV infection, according to a report by Seattle Times, and in the past months, at least 150 cases of HIV, among 4,200 residents in rural southeastern Indiana have already been reported.
Hepatitis C leads to severe liver damage, but while there are medications for this, it is rather expensive. In its late stage, a liver transplant is the only thing that will save the individual from dying. In 1992, effective blood screenings have helped in the infection decline, but as per the CDC report, 3 million are still infected, with many underreported cases. Part of CDC's guidelines against hepatitis C requires individuals to be tested for the disease at least once.
