CDC: Baby boomers should get tested
Posted: 08/17/2012
According to a recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), if you are a member of the baby boomer generation, you should get tested for hepatitis C.
The CDC reports one in 30 baby boomers (born in the years 1945-1965) is infected with the disease.
So what’s the big concern?
Hepatitis C can cause liver cancer, among other issues, including but not limited to abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and jaundice.
“A one-time blood test for hepatitis C should be on every baby boomer’s medical checklist,” said CDC Director Thomas R. Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. “The new recommendations can protect the health of an entire generation of Americans and save thousands of lives.”
According to CDC research, more than 2 million baby boomers are infected with the disease – that’s reportedly more than 75 percent of the total number of people with hepatitis C. The CDC estimates one-time testing of baby boomers could identify hundreds of thousands of people with the disease.
Previous recommendations from the CDC suggested testing only individuals with certain known risk factors.
Copyright 2012 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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