Hepatitis C: Public Policy Implications of a Silent Virus
Pamela Rasada, R.N., P.H.N. (CRB-08-009, July, 2008)
This report was produced in response to a request from Assemblymember Mark Leno for a comprehensive study on the policy implications of the hepatitis C virus (HCV).
More than 5 million people nationwide are infected with HCV; including 600,000 Californians. Due to the insidious nature of the virus, it is believed that fewer than half of them know they are infected. For many individuals the infection is discovered after the development of advanced liver disease, leaving some patients with no treatment option other than a liver transplant. Even when discovered early, the costly, often debilitating treatment process is successful in less than half the patients who are treated. The paper begins with a brief overview of the discovery of a hepatitis-related virus in the blood supply and how the cause of the virus, now known as hepatitis C, was discovered. The overview continues with detailed discussions of the risk factors and sources of infection for HCV, the diagnostic process, pathways of disease progression, and potential treatment options. A review of the prevalence and the direct and indirect costs associated with HCV are also included. The second half of the paper contains detailed discussions of the policy issues related to HCV including disease tracking and surveillance, a historical timeline of prevention and control efforts, workers compensation and presumptive infection, and access to care and insurance.
PDF version (2MB) is available online.
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