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Hepatitis C infections rise dramatically in Massachusetts young people

Infection Control Monitor, May 11, 2007

Hepatitis C infections among Massachusetts adolescents and young adults have risen dramatically from 2001 to 2005, according to data from the state Department of Public Health. Massachusetts officials suspect the increase is tied to drug use, reported The Boston Globe.

 

Health officials have warned doctors across the state to screen and educate patients about the bloodborne disease. The rise in cases of hepatitis C, an illness most often spread by drug needles contaminated with the virus, coincides with a period of epidemic heroin use in Massachusetts, the Globe reported.

 

Confirmed and suspected case of hepatitis C among 15- to 25-year-olds climbed from 254 in 2001 to at lest 784 in 2005. To combat the trend, the state has established pilot programs at community health centers and at Boston Medical Center to routinely ask every patient about possible drug use, the Globe reported.

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