Hepatitis C – a viral infection that can cause long-term damage to the liver and even death – may soon be a thing of the past, if the current national decline in cases continues and new treatments come onto the market.
However, although the CDC reports a decline in the Hep C rate on a national level, data from the New York State Department of Health (DOH) indicates that statewide concern remains, especially over young people, whose infection rates may be due to ongoing injectable drug use. The state has thus enacted a law mandating the CDC’s recommendation that all adults 18 and older, and persons under the age of 18 with a risk, be offered a screening test for Hepatitis C. The state also requires providers caring for pregnant people to order a Hepatitis C screening test during each pregnancy.
New York State also is providing free rapid-test kits to organizations that serve high-risk populations, with the DOH saying it plans on funding community-based clinics, mobile treatment vans, and programs within syringe service centers and homeless shelters to better reach underserved communities, while hospitals offer screenings to all patients. The state’s aim is a 90% reduction in people living with the virus and an 80% increase in those treated and cured by 2030.
Meanwhile, more encouraging news has been seen on the national level. According to data released in April, the CDC reported that the acute Hepatitis C rate decreased by 6.3% between 2021 and 2022 – a remarkable turn of events, given that the organization recorded annual Hep C increases between 2015 and 2021.
How one contracts Hepatitis C is similar to how one contracts many viruses:
- Being born to a mother who has the virus
- Having sex with someone who has the virus
- Sharing injectable drug equipment
- Getting a piercing or tattoo with equipment that has not been properly sterilized
- Any other practices that may involve transfer of blood and bodily fluids
It should be noted that some people may be unaware they have contracted any the Hepatitis C virus, as common symptoms include fatigue, fever, a loss of appetite/weight loss, and nausea – symptoms that can indicate a number of maladies. However, jaundice – a condition where one’s skin, the whites of their eyes and their mucous membranes turn yellow – can also be a byproduct of hepatitis, and of course should result in seeing a doctor immediately.
Even so, in some cases Hepatitis C can evolve into a chronic condition, putting the patient at risk of lifelong infection, liver fibrosis (an abnormally large amount of scar tissue in the liver), cirrhosis, liver cancer, liver failure and even death.
However, Hep C now appears to be on the decline. There are several possible reasons for this, including that today’s treatments are much more sophisticated than they were even a few years back.
Hep C is now treatable with purely oral antiviral regimens; in fact, currently available oral medications result in a 95% cure rate after a two-month regimen. In more welcome news, in early July the FDA granted marketing authorization for Xpert HCV test and GeneXpert Xpress System, the first Hepatitis C virus test that can be used as a point-of-care option for patients to test for the virus. The test can deliver results in approximately 1 hour from a finger-stick blood sample.
There is also the matter of better education – early diagnosis and treatment are critical in preventing liver damage – and the fact that hepatitis screenings are becoming more commonplace.
New York State’s goal of essentially eliminating the virus by 2030 is a lofty one – but I believe it is certainly achievable. Effectively putting Hepatitis C in the rearview mirror would be of great benefit to all of us.
Dr. Gary Zeitlin is an attending physician and Chief of the Infectious Disease Division at White Plains Hospital. To make an appointment, call 914-948-0500.