CDC’s Viral Hepatitis Work Saves Lives and Money

CDC’S VIRAL HEPATITIS WORK SAVES LIVES AND MONEY

• 4 million people in the U.S. living with hepatitis C in 2016
• 862,000 people in the U.S. living with hepatitis B in 2016
• 37,800+ people have been infected in a nationwide hepatitis A outbreak affecting 35 states since 2016
• Between 2010-2018, new reported hepatitis C infections more than quadrupled

LIVES

• Screening all adults 18 years or older and pregnant women during each pregnancy just once would identify an additional 256,000 person infected with hepatitis C, compared to one-time screening for people born between 1945 and 1965.
• Implementing CDC’s recommendations for hepatitis C testing and linkage to care and curative treatment could save 320,000 lives.
• Over 60,000 deaths can be averted by 2030 if people chronically infected with hepatitis B are diagnosed and linked to care and treatment.

MONEY

• Vaccination against hepatitis B is cost-saving to the healthcare system and leads the nation toward hepatitis B elimination
• CDC invests over $20 million in state, tribal, local, and territorial support for viral hepatitis response
• $6.5 billion: estimated total healthcare costs associated with hepatitis C infection in 2011
• The average cost of curing people with hepatitis C is not only cost-effective, but cost-saving to the healthcare system

PROJECT SPOTLIGHTS: Two community-based projects funded by CDC provided a model for viral hepatitis test and treat/cure strategies for the nation.

• Hepatitis C: Over three years, CDC’s Community-Based Programs to Test and Cure Hepatitis C project saw:
  • 300,963: hepatitis C tests performed
  • 15,736: people diagnosed with hepatitis C infection
  • 4,988: people already prescribed treatment
  • 342: providers trained to treat patients with hepatitis C

• Hepatitis B: Over three years, CDC’s Community-Based Services to Improve Testing and Linkage to Care Among Non–U.S.-Born Persons with Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection project saw:
  • 10,152: program participants
  • 757: people tested positive for chronic hepatitis B infection
  • 643: people attended one or more medical visits
  • 587: received care for their hepatitis B

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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention