Veterans may be at special risk. The Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that 8 percent to 10 percent of veterans treated at VA medical centers have hepatitis C - an infection rate some five times higher than in the general population. Veterans treated by the VA tend to have poorer health, so no one can say if all veterans have such a high risk, cautions the VA's Dr. Toni Mitchell. But more veterans need to demand testing, says Terry Baker of the Vietnam Veterans of America, director of a new campaign that is launching ads and an Internet site to increase hepatitis C awareness. Any veteran who requests a hepatitis C test at a VA medical center is supposed to get it, and those hospitals also are supposed to ask veterans if they have any risks that would trigger testing, said Mitchell, who investigates complaints if that doesn't happen.
Treatment is still somewhat controversial.
The VA is following National Institutes of Health guidelines that recommend treatment if a liver biopsy shows damage, Mitchell said.