Cases of Hepatitis C -- a blood borne virus that attacks the
liver and is spread via shared drug needles, unsterile tattoos and
other means -- are on the rise. It's a "silent epidemic" waiting to
strike many unsuspecting Baby Boomers and young adults, health officials
warn, because the liver has a long memory. Even if you have forgotten
what you did this past weekend, or in the freewheeling 1970s, your liver
did not.
Hoping to stem the tide of premature deaths
from liver-related complications, lawmakers narrowly passed a bill in
recent days that would require doctors to offer screening tests for
patients considered high-risk for Hepatitis C.
It is curable in most cases, but left undetected can lead to cirrhosis of the liver and death.
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Labels: Epidemiology, hepatitis C on the rise, screening bill, Southern Illinois