Baby Boomers: Get Tested for Hepatitis C

Content From: Miguel Gomez, Director, AIDS.gov, and Senior Communications Advisor, Office of HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Policy, U.S. Department of Health and Human ServicesPublished: May 28, 20151 min read

Topics

While May’s observance of Hepatitis Awareness Month that individuals born between 1945 and 1965 – the so-called “baby boomer” generation – to get a one-time screening for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.

Our HIV.gov colleague Linda Lawson shares this video message for her fellow baby boomers.The one-time hepatitis C screening for everyone born 1945 – 1965 is a “covered preventive service” under the Affordable Care Act, which means that most health plans must cover it no cost to you.

The CDC estimates that half of people chronically infected with HCV are unaware of their infection. Hepatitis C can cause liver disease, liver cancer, and death. However, timely diagnosis and access to curative treatment can prevent these outcomes and improve overall health for individuals with HCV.

Please share this information and video with friends and colleagues for whom it might be relevant.