CDC to baby boomers: Get tested for hepatitis C

For better or for worse, Nevada has a head start on the U.S. health officials' recommendation Thursday that all baby boomers be tested for hepatitis C, a blood-borne disease that can destroy the liver and even lead to liver cancer.

The Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention completed its recommendation that those born between 1945 and 1965 pay their doctor a visit because the symptoms can go un­detected for years, until it's too late to treat.

Brian Labus, an epidemiologist for the Southern Nevada Health District, said it's possible that 1 percent of Nevada's population could be infected with the illness, following a national trend in which 3.2 million have been found to have contracted the disease.

But the good news, he said, is that 63,000 Southern Nevadans already have been screened in the wake of the hepatitis C outbreak linked by health officials to dangerous practices at Dr. Dipak Desai's clinics. Health officials blamed the outbreak on nurse anesthetists reusing propofol vials between patients after they had become contaminated by syringes that were reused on patients with hepatitis C.

In February 2008, they began informing patients that they may have been exposed to HIV and hepatitis strains B and C after having procedures at the clinics between 2004 and early 2008. Federal health officials called it the largest notification of its kind in U.S. history. The outbreak prompted investigations by police, the state medical board, the FBI and the IRS. More than 150 patients have filed lawsuits.

It also prompted criminal charges. Last week, a grand jury indicted Desai and two nurse anesthetists on a second-degree murder charge in the death of Rodolfo Meana, a victim of the outbreak in 2007. Meana, 77, died in April from complications from hepatitis C in his native Philippines. His infection was among nine definitively linked to Desai's clinics, and health officials described 106 more cases as "possibly linked."

Desai faces other criminal charges, including racketeering, conspiracy and 25 counts of health care fraud.

"Because we had the big outbreak here a few years ago, and we followed up and tested potential victims, we have a head start," said Labus, adding that of the 63,000 residents who were tested, 106 tested positive.

"But it's always a good idea to test yourself, especially if you're a baby boomer," he said. "They're the group that has the highest level of prevalence. So, if an annual exam is coming up, then you might make a note of it and ask your doctor to include the test."

According to the CDC, baby boomers account for about two-thirds of the estimated 3.2 million infected Americans.

More than 15,000 Americans die each year from hepatitis C-related illnesses, and the number has been growing, according to the CDC.

"Unless we take action, we project deaths will increase substantially," said CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden, in a call with reporters.

The hepatitis C virus is most commonly spread today through sharing needles to inject drugs. Before widespread screening of blood donations began in 1992, it was also spread through blood transfusions. The virus can gradually scar the liver and lead to cirrhosis or liver cancer, and is the leading cause of liver transplant. It can trigger damage in other parts of the body, as well.

It's possible some people were infected in ways other than dirty needles or long-ago blood transfusions. Some experts say tattoos, piercings, shared razor blades and toothbrushes, manicures and sniffed cocaine may have caused the virus to spread in some cases.

However it happened, health officials say baby boomers are five times more likely to be infected than other adults.

Officials said they decided to issue the recommendations after seeing the number of Americans dying from hepatitis C-related diseases nearly double from 1999 to 2007.

Another reason: Two drugs hit the market last year that promise to cure many more people than was possible.

Previously, testing was recommended only for people considered at highest risk, like current and former injection drug users.

About 3 percent of baby boomers test positive for the virus, the CDC estimates. Of those, some manage to clear the infection from their bodies without treatment, but still have lingering antibodies that give a positive initial test result. That's why confirmatory tests are needed.

The recommendation applies to people born from 1945 to 1965 who have not already been tested. They should get a blood test at their next visit to the doctor, Frieden said.

Mike Stobbe of The Associated Press contributed to this report. Contact Tom Ragan at tragan@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5512.