Hepatitis Surveillance Report

May 11, 2017 – New Hepatitis C Infections Nearly Tripled Over Five Years

New preliminary data released today shows that, in over just five years, the number of new hepatitis C infections reported to CDC has nearly tripled, reaching a 15-year high. The greatest increases, and the highest overall number of cases, were among young people 20-29, with injection drug use as the primary route of transmission. However, the majority (three-quarters) of the 3.5 million Americans already living with hepatitis C are baby boomers, born from 1945 to 1965, who are six times more likely to be infected with hepatitis C than those in other age groups and are at much greater risk for death from the virus.

Resources:

Press Release: New Hepatitis C Infections Nearly Tripled over Five Years
Full Report: Surveillance for Viral Hepatitis – United States, 2015
MMWR: State HCV Incidence and Policies Related to Preventive Services, and HCV Treatment Services for Persons Who Inject Drugs
Media Summary: State HCV Incidence and Policies Related to Preventive Services, and HCV Treatment Services for Persons Who Inject Drugs

Graphics: New Preliminary Hepatitis Surveillance Data

The following images and graphics highlight major findings from CDC’s analysis. These high-resolution, public domain images are ready to download and print in your publication. Click on a graphic to see it in high-resolution.

These images are in the public domain and are thus free of any copyright restrictions. As a matter of courtesy, we ask that the content provider be credited and notified of any public or private usage of an image.

This line graph illustrates the rise in hepatitis C infections since 2010. New hepatitis C infections have nearly tripled from 2010-2015, from 850 new cases in 2010 to 2,436 new cases in 2015. Because of limited testing and underreporting, the number of hepatitis C cases reported to CDC do not reflect the true scale of the epidemic. CDC estimates about 34,000 new infections actually occurred in the U.S. in 2015.

Hepatitis C Reported Cases, 2010-2015

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The number of new hepatitis C infections reported to CDC in 2015 was higher than it’s been in 15 years – having nearly tripled since 2010 (850 new cases were reported in 2010, and 2,436 new cases reported in 2015). Because hepatitis C often has few noticeable symptoms, the number of new cases is likely much higher than what is reported. Due to limited testing and underreporting, CDC estimates the actual number of Americans newly infected is 34,000.