Baby Boomers urged to get tested for Hepatitis C

The Hawai’i State Department of Health is echoing the recently released recommendation of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that all persons born in the United States between 1945 and 1965 receive a one-time hepatitis C test. 

"Often called the silent epidemic, most people with hepatitis C don’t have symptoms for many years and consequently don’t seek screening and treatment until they have liver disease or even liver cancer," said Thaddeus Pham, DOH Adult Viral Hepatitis Prevention Coordinator. 
 
The CDC estimates that more than two million baby boomers have HCV, accounting for more than 75 percent of Americans living with this disease. People born from 1945 through 1965 currently are five times more likely to be infected than other adults.

More than 15,000 Americans die of HCV annually, yet most people do not know that they have the disease because it is often asymptomatic. 

"Baby boomers in Hawai’i shouldn’t wait until they feel sick to be tested because there are many things, including treatment, they can do to take care of themselves before they become ill.  The earlier people know they have hepatitis, the better the outcome," Pham said.

For more information on hepatitis B and C and for resources in Hawai’i, individuals can call Aloha United Way 211 or go to www.hepfreehawaii.org. 

More information on hepatitis B and C is also available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at www.cdc.gov/hepatitis, or by calling 1-888-443-7232.