According to recently released data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hepatitis C infection rates in the United States have nearly tripled between 2010 and 2015, primarily affecting young adults between the ages of 20 and 29 years. The CDC largely attributes this rise in infection rates to increased opioid use throughout the U.S., namely the injection of heroin with contaminated needles.
Read the full piece from Dr. Lorna Seybolt, an Infectious diseases specialist at St. Thomas Community Health Center, on Nola.com.