CDC Urges Hepatitis C Testing for Baby Boomers

There are a laundry list of medical tests that are recommended for people as they age, and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention is adding Hepatitis C to that list, urging Baby Boomers to get tested during their next check-up.

FOX News Radio’s Lisa Brady has the reason why:

It can take decades for Hepatits C to cause problems, so many people who have it don’t know it, until it’s too late.

(Smith) “We’re seeing that people are developing more and more cirrhosis, we’re seeing increased incidents of liver cancer. ?Hepatitis C is also the leading cause of liver transplants.”

And the CDC’s Bryce Smith says, for some reason, Baby Boomers are five times more likely than other adults to be infected, so they’re now recommending that anyone born from 1945-1965 get a blood test during their next doctor visit. ?Otherwise, the CDC projects deaths will increase substantially.

Hepatitis C-related illnesses already kill more than 15,000 Americans every year.

Lisa Brady, FOX News Radio.