A latent legacy of baby boomers’ youthful antics could be
hepatitis C. The number of boomers dying from a “silent
epidemic” of hepatitis C infections is increasing so quickly
that federal officials are planning a nationwide push for
widespread testing. Seventy-five percent of the estimated 3.2
million people who have chronic hepatitis C — and a similar
number of those who die from the ailment are baby boomers.
Hepatitis C deaths nearly doubled between 1999 and 2007 to more
than 15,000, according to a Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) study. Hepatitis C is the primary infectious
cause of cirrhosis and liver cancer and is the most common
reason for liver transplants, according to the CDC. In 2007,
deaths from the disease surpassed those caused by HIV, and the
numbers are expected to increase. Baby boomers typically became
infected in their teens and 20s, either via blood transfusions
or with experimental injection drug use. Hepatitis C is often
asymptomatic while it damages the liver, according t