ANOTHER EPIDEMIC

QUERNA (2006) U.S. NEWS &WORLD REPORT/ 3/13/ 60-61

It's not the Avian flu that we are talking about but Hepatitis C. Did you ever use a dirty needle when you were shooting up 30 years ago? Did you get a tattoo in a less than a clean place?

Hepatitis C remains in the body for years and then re-emerges to kill or maim. So, it's about time. The number of 450,000 cases a decade ago is now ten years later is about 1.5 million. However, it is likely to grow even faster now as risky boomers meet old age. Over the next 10 years, the projections from the author is double or triple what it is now.

There is a medication but it is tough to take. It can cause side effects like depression, g.i. pain, and antique. Hepatitis C also appears to correlate with cancer and liver disease, so there is more to watch out for.

On the other hand, unlike the Avian flu, there appears to be a cure even though about 20 %

stop before they complete the treatment.