Information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

• Hepatitis C:  Overview and Statistics
• Surveillance for Viral Hepatitis – United States, 2013
• Healthcare-Associated Hepatitis B and C Outbreaks Reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2008-2014
• Guidelines For Viral Hepatitis Surveillance And Case Management
• Historical Reported Cases and Estimates
• People Born 1945-1965
• Affected Groups: Persons with HIV/AIDS
• Affected Groups: Men Who Have Sex with Men
• Affected Groups: Persons with STDs
• Affected Groups: Persons Who Inject Drugs
• Affected Groups: African Americans
• Prevention in Health Care
• Hepatitis FAQs for Health Professionals
• Recommendations for the Identification of Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection Among Persons Born During 1945–1965
• Testing for HCV Infection: An Update of Guidance for Clinicians and Laboratorians
• The ABCs of Hepatitis

General Information from Other Sources

• Hepatitis C Incidence and Prevalence in the U.S. (University of Washington School of Medicine)
• Hepatitis C virus infection in USA: an estimate of true prevalence (Liver International)
• A Brief History of Hepatitis C (HCV Advocate)Hepatitis C Virus Infection in Young Persons Who Inject Drugs (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)
• Hepatitis C (World Health Organization)

Selected Recent Articles

Note: Research on the epidemiology and treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is evolving rapidly.  Many articles and reports about HCV are being published each year, and HCV information becomes outdated quickly. For this reason, we have focused primarily on news from the past 3 years.

Epidemiology, Surveillance, and Trends

• INHSU 2016 opens with focus on hepatitis C prevention and treatment for people who inject drugs.  (September 2016, AIDSmap)
• “Overdose Outbreak” Hits West Virginia in the Midst of Opioid Crisis.  (August 2016, Hepmag)
• Hepatitis C Epidemic Hits Hard in Rural Alaska.  (August 2016, Hepmag)
• Hepatitis C-Related Deaths Quadruple Across Rhode Island.  (August 2016, Hepmag).
• Viral Hepatitis Surpasses TB, HIV and Malaria as a Cause of Death Globally.  (July 2016, Poz)
• Hepatitis C on the Rise in Northern Ohio.  (June 2016, Hepmag)
• CDC Lists 220 Counties at High Risk of HIV and Hepatitis C Outbreaks.  (June 2016, Poz)
• Only treating patients with cirrhosis with DAAs will have limited impact on HCV epidemic in England.  (May 2016, AIDSmap)
• Hepatitis C is Killing Americans in Record Numbers While Patients Cannot Access Life Saving Medicine.  (May 2016, Hepmag)
• Hepatitis C Is Now the Biggest Killer Among All Infectious Diseases.  (May 2016, Poz)
• Ending the U.S. Epidemics of Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C Is Now Feasible.  (April 2016, Hepmag); related coverage from Hepmag and NASTAD
• New Hepatitis C Drugs May Do Only So Much to Limit the Impact of the Disease.  (April 2016, Hepmag); related abstract from Hepatology
• Understanding the Magnitude of the Viral Hepatitis Epidemics in the United States.  (April 2016, Hepmag)
• Without a Vaccine, Eliminating Hepatitis C Will Be a Huge Challenge.  (April 2016, Hepmag)
• HCV epidemic in North America peaked between 1940 and 1965 with medical procedures likely source of most infections.  (Apri 2016, AIDSmap)
• Global HIV/HCV burden exceeds 2 million, driven by PWID (March 2016, Healio); related coverage from Poz
• Strategies used during HIV, HCV outbreak in Indiana may prevent future epidemics. (March 2016, Healio); related coverage from MedPage Today and Poz
• In the global epidemic of hepatitis C, millions await the cure.  (February 2016, Science Speaks Blog)
• Data mapping highlights realities of global hepatitis C impacts, resources.  (February 2016, Science Speaks Blog)
• DAAs could halt HCV epidemic in US – but only with near-universal testing and big increase in treatment rates.  (December 2015, AIDSmap)
• Most U.S. States Not Prepared for Infectious Disease Outbreaks.  (December 2015, Hepmag)
• The New York Times Examines Egypt’s Hepatitis C ‘Experiment.’  (December 2015, Hepmag)
• The New York Times Examines the U.S. Heroin Epidemic.  (December 2015, Hepmag)
• The True Hepatitis C Prevalence in the United States: It’s Higher Than What’s Usually Reported.  (December 2015, Hepmag)
• Hepatitis C-Related Deaths Climb Steadily.  (October 2015, Hepmag)
• Hepatitis C-related mortality continues to increase in the U.S.  (October 2015, AIDSmap)
• New Jersey Sees Spike in Both Chronic and Acute Hepatitis C.  (September 2015, Hepmag)
• Is the Hepatitis C Prevalence Estimate Too Low?  (September 2015, Hepmag)
• Outbreaks of Acute Hepatitis C in the U.S: A Brief Overview.  (September 2015, Hepmag)
• Hepatitis C: The Problem with Numbers.  (August 2015, Hepmag)
• The CDC’s Surveillance of Acute Hepatitis C Cases Is Poor.  (July 2015, Hepmag)
• Hepatitis C Has Large Impact in Sub-Saharan Africa.  (July 2015, Hepmag)
• Most U.S. Hepatitis C Cases Not Reported to CDC.  (July 2015, Hepmag)
• New Viral Hepatitis Numbers from the CDC.  (June 2015, Hepmag)
• High HCV infection rate in sub-Saharan Africa, with prevalence especially high in patients with HIV.  (June 2015, AIDSmap)
• One in Five People With Hep C Likely Have Advanced Liver Disease.  (May 2015, Hepmag)
• Researchers discover HCV prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa.  (May 2015, Healio)
• Hepatitis C Expert: New Drugs Alone Will Not End the Epidemic.  (May 2015, Hepmag)
• Europe Is Behind the Eight Ball in Combatting Viral Hepatitis.  (May 2015, Hepmag)
• Emerging Liver Diseases to Eclipse Hepatitis C at EASL 2015.  (April 2015, Hepmag)
• HCV sexual transmission linked to anal sex, drug use, lower CD4 count.  (March 2015, AIDSmap)
• Traditional Cultural Practices Linked to Hepatitis C in West Africa.  (February 2015, Hepmag)
• One Million Americans With Hep C Have High-Priority Treatment Status.  (January 2015, Hepmag)
• One million people with hepatitis C in the US at high priority for treatment.  (December 2014, AIDSmap)
• Hep C-Related Liver Disease Differs by Race.  (December 2014, Hepmag)
• Hepatitis C Could Become Rare in the U.S. By 2036.  (September 2014, Hepmag)
• World Indigenous Peoples Conference on Viral Hepatitis.  (September 2014, Hepmag)
• Can Hepatitis C Be Eradicated in the United States?  (September 2014, Hepmag)
• Cirrhosis and Liver Cancer Risk Differs by Race for People With Hepatitis C.  (September 2014, Hepmag)
• Expanded harm reduction provision achieves impressive reductions in HCV incidence among PWID in Scotland.  (August 2014, AIDSmap)
• Why Hepatitis C Still Kills 16,000 Americans Per Year, and What We Can Do About It.  (August 2014, Hepmag)
• New Study Maps Out Global Hepatitis By Genotype.  (July 2014, Hepmag)
• Viral Hepatitis Now Kills More Than HIV/AIDS.  (July 2014, Hepmag)
• Viral Hepatitis Kills More Europeans Than HIV by Tenfold.  (April 2014, Poz)
• Liver Cancer Deaths Double in Two Decades.  (August 2013, Poz)
• Liver disease a major cause of illness and death across the EU: action needed to save lives.  (April 2013, AIDSmap)

Young Persons Who Inject Drugs (PWIDs)

• HCV Current Initiative: Addressing the National Epidemics of Prescription Opioid misuse and Hepatitis C through Unique Partnerships.  (October 2015, Hepmag)
• Dynamics and Demographics of Opiate Addiction Are Shifting.  (September 2015, Hepmag)
• Central Appalachian Jump in Hep C Linked to Opioid Use.  (May 2015, Hepmag)
• Increases in hepatitis C virus infection related to injection drug use among persons aged ≤30 years – Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, 2006-2012.  (May 2015, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report)
• Hep C Is Up in Rural Injection Drug Users.  (December 2014, Hepmag)
• Lower Hep C Risk for Young IDUs on Opioid Maintenance Therapy.  (November 2014, Hepmag)
• Young drug injectors on opioid maintenance therapy have lower risk of hepatitis C infection.  (November 2014, AIDSmap)
• Youth at Risk: Heroin, Hep C and the Prescription Painkiller Epidemics.  (September 2014, Hepmag)
• $1.3M to Study Hepatitis C Epidemic in New Mexico.  (September 2014, Hepmag)
• Hepatitis C Cases Rising Among Young, Non-Urban Drug Users.  (August 2014, TheBodyPro); related coverage from Hepmag
• Young Drug Users at Especially High Risk of HIV and Hep C.  (July 2014, Poz)
• Notes from the Field : Hepatitis C Virus Infections Among Young Adults — Rural Wisconsin, 2010.  (May 2012, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report)
• Hepatitis C Virus Infection Among Adolescents and Young Adults – Massachusetts, 2002 – 2009.  (May 2011, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report)

Persons Who Inject Drugs in General

• Hepatitis C Prevention for People Who Inject Drugs.  (July/August 2016, Positively Aware)
• Vaccination could have important role in control of UK HCV epidemic among people who inject drugs.  (June 2016, AIDSmap)
• Hepatitis C therapy improves quality of life for people who inject drugs, but reinfection risk remains.  (May 2016, AIDSmap)
• Urban Injection Drug Users Succeed on Hep C Treatment With Hands-On Care Protocol.  (March 2016, Poz)
• Indiana HIV epidemic among people who inject drugs is controlled, but ongoing vigilance is needed.  (March 2016, AIDSmap). Note: This includes information about a related hepatitis C outbreak.
• Monroe County in Indiana Declares Hepatitis C Emergency.  (December 2015, Hepmag)
• Grazoprevir/elbasvir shows high hepatitis C cure rate for people who inject drugs.  (November 2015, AIDSmap)
• Interferon-free treatment works well for people who inject drugs, but barriers to access remain.  (October 2015, AIDSmap)
• People who inject drugs should have access to hepatitis C treatment, expert panel recommends.  (October 2015, AIDSmap)
• Response to the Indiana HIV/Hep C Outbreak Is a Test Case.  (August 2015, Poz)
• Hepatitis C Largely Explains Higher Mortality in Injection Drug Users With HIV.  (August 2015, TheBodyPro)
• Delaware Hepatitis C Increase Linked to Rise in Heroin Use.  (August 2015, Hepmag)
• Hepatitis C Surge in Maine Attributed to Increased Heroin Use.  (July 2015, Hepmag)
• Injection Drug Users Have Low Risk of Hep C Reinfection.  (June 2015, Hepmag)
• Community Outbreak of HIV Infection Linked to Injection Drug Use of Oxymorphone — Indiana, 2015.  (May 2015, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report)
• CDC Warns of Overlapping HIV and Hep C Outbreaks Among IDUs.  (April 2015, Hepmag)
• Amid Health Crisis, Indiana Police Accused of Sabotaging Needle Exchange.  (April 2015, Hepmag)
• West Virginia Faces Epidemics of Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C.  (April 2015, Hepmag)
• HCV sexual transmission linked to anal sex, drug use, lower CD4 count.  (March 2015, AIDSmap)
• Spike in Heroin Use Spurs AIDS Center to Promote Its Needle Exchange.  (March 2015, Hepmag)
• HCV prevention campaigns need to focus on reducing frequency of injecting drug use involving sharing of equipment.  (January 2015, AIDSmap)
• Injecting Pain Pills Is 5 Times Riskier for Hep C Than Using Heroin. (October 2014, Hepmag)
• Program for Drug-Using Couples Lowers Hep C and Risky Sex Rates.  (August 2014, Hepmag)
• Methadone Users Willing to Undergo Hepatitis C Treatment.  (July 2014, Poz)
• Testing HCV positive has a sustained impact on drug injecting behaviour.  (January 2014, AIDSmap)
• Experts discuss role of drug policy in HIV, hepatitis and TB epidemics.  (July 2013, AIDSmap)
• ‘War on drugs’ fueling the hepatitis C epidemic among people who inject drugs.  (May 2013, AIDSmap)
• Elevated prevalence of HIV and viral hepatitis in men injecting anabolic steroids.  (April 2013, AIDSmap)

Baby Boomers (Persons Born from 1945 Through 1965)

• Jackson, Mississippi VA Hospital Reports Major Increase in Hepatitis C Cases.  (July 2016, Hepmag)
• Among Baby Boomers, Sex and Drugs Are Not to Blame for High Hepatitis C Rates.  (June 2016, Hepmag)
• Looks Like Boomers Didn’t Get Hepatitis C from Youthful Drug Use After All.  (April 2016, Poz)
• Advanced liver damage is common in people with undiagnosed hepatitis C in U.S. survey.  (April 2015, AIDSmap)
• High Rates of Advanced Liver Damage in Hep C-Diagnosed Boomers.  (March 2015, Hepmag)
• Progression to severe fibrosis or cirrhosis is common among baby boomers with hepatitis C in the U.S.  (March 2015, AIDSmap)
• Severe fibrosis, cirrhosis prevalent in birth cohort of HCV patients.  (February 2015, Healio)
• Next Phase of CDC Hepatitis Campaign for People Over 50.  (January 2015, Hepmag)
• Hepatitis Rises 48% from 2006 to 2010 in U.S. Nursing Homes.  (November 2014 for Hepmag)
• Need for expansion of hepatitis C screening among veterans, ‘baby-boom’ generation and pregnant women highlighted.  (November 2013, AIDSmap)

Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men

• No Drop in Hep C Rates Among European Gays With HIV.  (November 2015, Poz)
• Hepatitis C incidence remains stable among gay men living with HIV in Europe, but varies across countries.  (November 2015, AIDSmap)
• Sexual transmission of HCV is increasing among gay and bisexual men with HIV, meta-analysis finds.  (September 2015, AIDSmap)
• Acute HCV infections observed among HIV-negative gay men in London.  (June 2015, AIDSmap)
• High Drug Use in HIV-Negative Gay Men With Acute HCV, but HCV Screening Low.  (June 2015, TheBodyPro)
• Hepatitis C treatment could halve HCV transmission among gay men in UK over 10 years.  (June 2015, AIDSmap)
• Reinfection after hepatitis C cure: prevention may require long-term support for people who have injected drugs.  (June 2015, AIDSmap)
• MSM without HIV can still contract HCV.  (June 2015, Healio)
• HCV core-antigen testing is a reliable way of detecting acute HCV infections in HIV-positive gay men.  (October 2014, AIDSmap)
• Studies investigate presence of hepatitis C virus among gay and bisexual men.  (Fall 2014, CATIE)
• HIV-Negative Gay Men May Acquire Hepatitis C Sexually.  (September 2014, Poz)
• Studies Investigate Presence of Hepatitis C Virus Among Gay and Bisexual Men.  (August 2014, CATIE)
• After diagnosis of hepatitis C, some gay men willing to consider risk-reduction practices.  (November 2013, AIDSmap)
• HCV reinfection is common among HIV-positive gay men in Europe.  (October 2013, AIDSmap)
• Eastern Europe facing quadruple epidemic while governments do nothing, warns UN Special Envoy.  (October 2013, AIDSmap)
• Community study finds no evidence of widespread HCV epidemic among HIV-negative gay men in London.  (August 2013, AIDSmap)
• Hepatitis C reinfection occurs frequently among gay men living with HIV in London.  (July 2013, AIDSmap)

Prison Inmates and Former Inmates

• Hepatitis C Hits “Epidemic” Levels in Tennessee Prisons.  (May 2016, Hepmag)
• Correctional Facilities Are Ideal Places to Fight Hepatitis C.  (December 2015, Hepmag)
• Testing & Treating Inmates for Hep C Would Be Very Cost-Effective.  (December 2015, Hepmag)
• Hepatitis C in Corrections: A New Resource for Incarcerated People.  (November 2015, Hepmag)
• East Tennessee Jail Reports 92% of Inmates Have Hepatitis C.  (July 2015, Hepmag)
• Massachusetts Inmates Sue Prisons for Hepatitis C Treatment.  (June 2015, Hepmag)
• Inmates Sue Minnesota for Alleged Denial of Hepatitis C Drugs.  (May 2015, Hepmag)
• Lawsuit Alleges N.Y. Prisons Withheld Hepatitis Test Results.  (March 2015, Hepmag)
• Hepatitis C in Prisons.  (December 2014, Hepmag)
• New Hep C Meds Could Spell Disaster for U.S. Prison Budgets.  (August 2014, Hepmag)
• Post-Cure Hep C Reinfection Is Common Among Prisoners.  (July 2013, Poz)

Other Demographic Groups

• Cincinnati Hospitals Report Rising Hepatitis C Rates Among Local Children.  (June 2016, Hepmag)
• New Funding to Support Curing Hep C Among People of Color Living with HIV.  (June 2016, Poz)
• The Link Between Excessive Drinking and Having Hepatitis C.  (May 2016, Hepmag)
• The Cherokee Nation’s Hepatitis C Elimination Program and the Indian Health Service’s Hepatitis C Testing Program.  (May 2016, blog.AIDS.gov)
• Marker Predicts Death Risk in Women With HIV and Hepatitis C.  (May 2016, Hepmag)
• Cherokee Nation Is First U.S. Community to Seek Complete Elimination of Hepatitis C.  (April 2016, Hepmag)
• Health Authorities Investigate Hepatitis Cases Linked to West Virginia Heart Clinic.  (March 2016, Hepmag)
• More People Test Positive for Hepatitis C in Utah Hospital Outbreak.  (January 2016, Hepmag)
• Historic Achievement for Veterans in the Fight against Hepatitis C.  (January 2016, Hepmag)
• No Settlement in North Dakota Hepatitis C Outbreak Lawsuit.  (November 2015, Hepmag)
• Cherokee Nation Gets $1.5M Grant to Address Rising Hepatitis C Rates.  (November 2015, Hepmag)
• Other Issues Related to Hepatitis C: Hepatitis C and Veterans.  (November 2015, Hepmag)
• Other Issues Related to Hepatitis C: Hepatitis C and Pregnancy.  (October 2015, Hepmag)
• 2015 Kelly Report Highlights Impact of HCV on African Americans.  (September 2015, Hepmag)
• Alcohol misuse the strongest predictor of severe liver damage and death in French people with hepatitis C.  (April 2015, AIDSmap)
• Advancing Awareness and Action Against Hepatitis C Among African Americans.  (March 2015, Hepmag)
• Hepatitis C Treatment and Pregnancy.  (March 2015, Hepmag)
• Pregnant Women With Hep C Have 6% Chance of Passing Virus to Baby.  (January 2015, Hepmag)
• New Hepatitis C Treatments Still Not Advised for Children.  (December 2014, Hepmag)
• Montreal Pilot Program Aims to Cure Homeless of Hepatitis C.  (August 2014, Hepmag)
• Sexual transmission of hepatitis C very rare in monogamous heterosexual couples.  (March 2013, AIDSmap)