Hepatitis C now kills more Americans each year than HIV

[jsr]

http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-hepatitis-c-more-deadly-20140303,0,4641508.story

Fewer Americans are living with hepatitis C, because more have died
By Karen Kaplan
March 3, 2014, 2:38 p.m.

The number of Americans who are infected with hepatitis C is falling, but that’s probably because more people who have been sickened by the virus are dying as a result, government researchers reported Monday.

After analyzing data from thousands of people who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that about 1% of the population over age 5 have hepatitis C. If so, that would translate to 2.68 million people with the virus, known as HCV.

In addition, the researchers estimated that 900,000 additional people once had the liver disease but no longer have an active infection. Altogether, 1.3% of of the population has a past or current HCV infection, according to a study published in Tuesday’s edition of Annals of Internal Medicine.

Hepatitis C is a dangerous infection of the liver that has become the No. 1 cause of cirrhosis, liver cancer and liver transplants in the U.S., according to the CDC. Some patients who contract HCV recover in a matter of weeks, but at least 75% develop chronic infections that can last for the rest of their lives. The virus can be spread through contact with infected blood, and health experts estimate that hepatitis C now kills more Americans each year than HIV.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. I think most folks expect that HIV is more dangerous than HCV.

And of course it is dangerous.

But.

Consider this: Here's a table with two drops of blood on it. One has HCV and the other has HIV.

Even after cleaning, the drop that contains HCV is still contagious, for months. The HIV drop is not dangerous at all, after being cleaned. It's only when it gets into your bloodstream that it's dangerous.

[AgingAmerican]

2. Two close friends of mine

Have died from Hep C. A third one has tumors on his liver. I was successfully treated for Hep C two years ago, the most agonizing, gut wrenching six months of my life.

There are some very good treatments coming out right now that are not as harsh as what I went through, and a lot more effective. They are getting close to a cure.

Thing is, most people who have it are not aware of it.