CDC Urging Baby Boomers to Get Tested for Hepatitis C

It is said that time and life experiences make us wiser. But what happens when what we call life experiences put our health at risk? For those born between 1945 and 1965 wisdom might not be all they have acquired. It has been reported that baby boomers make up 75% of the hepatitis C cases in the United States. This age group is distinctly vulnerable due to the fact that during their youth the medical and lifestyle precautions that emerged during the HIV outbreak in the 1980s were unknown. Some may have become infected as a result of blood transfusions prior to the universal precautions and widespread blood screenings, which commenced in 1992 or through experimentation with drug use by sharing needles.

According to the CDC 1 in 30 baby boomers has been infected, and most have no clue. This virus can go undetected without symptoms for decades slowly destroying the liver, while causing few symptoms. This characteristic has earned the hepatitis C virus a silent killer status. The CDC recommends that baby boomers get tested for hepatitis C, which in turn will potentially prevent the consequences of the disease. The importance of getting tested is that if detected early hepatitis C can be treated and lives can be saved.

If you are an individual born between 1945 – 1965, have you followed the CDC’s recommendation regarding Hepatitis C testing?  If not, what is keeping you from doing so?  We may be able to help.

Baby boomers can get tested discreetly for Hepatitis C at any of ANY LAB TEST NOW®’s locations nationwide.  To find a location near you visit www.anylabtestnow.com.