CDC Urges Boomers to Get Tested for Hepatitis C

from USA Today

ATLANTA (Associated Press) -- For the first time, the government is proposing that all baby boomers get tested for hepatitis C. Anyone born from 1945 to 1965 should get a one-time blood test to see if they have the liver-destroying virus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in draft recommendations issued Friday.

Baby boomers account for more than 2 million of the 3.2 million Americans infected with the blood-borne virus. It can take decades to cause liver damage, and many people don't know they're infected.

CDC officials believe the new measure could lead 800,000 more baby boomers to get treatment and could save more than 120,000 lives. "The CDC views hepatitis C as an unrecognized health crisis for the country, and we believe the time is now for a bold response," said Dr. John W. Ward, the CDC's hepatitis chief.

Science in the Media

Newspapers:

Magazines and Web Sites:

The Science-Media Intersection:

Science Blogs

Sign Up

... for Sigma Xi SmartBrief, a free daily summary of the latest news in scientific research, delivered straight to your in-box. Each story is summarized concisely and linked directly to the original source for further reading.

Click here to subscribe.

Subscribe to Our Content!

Visit our RSS Feeds page to choose among 13 customized feeds, or create a free My AmSci account to request an email notice whenever a specified author, department or discipline appears online.

EMAIL TO A FRIEND :

Of Possible Interest

Science In The News Daily: Antibody Cocktail Cures Monkeys of Ebola

Science In The News Daily: Diesel Exhausts Do Cause Cancer, Says WHO

Science In The News Daily: Obesity Ills That Won't Budge Fuel Soda Battle by Bloomberg