Courtesy of American Liver Foundation . The specter of four million infected, and delay in government-ordered blood tracing, should impel people at risk to seek testing and treatment. Advocates argue that screening should reach further back. The FDA replies that the blood establishment needs time.
People move, and blood gets shipped around.
On Friday, the CDC issued the first salvo in a broad hepatitis-C education blitz aimed at physicians and the public over the next year. The major culprit is IV-drug use, responsible for 60,76 of cases. CDC recommends that anyone who ever injected recreational drugs be tested. Sexual partners of hepatitis-C positive people should consider testing, though their risk is low. People who test positive should consult a physician who will monitor liver enzymes, perform a liver biopsy to check for scarring and monitor alpha-fetoprotein to screen for liver cancer.