Nearly 90 percent of Coloradans with Hepatitis C are not being treated, reports Colorado Public Radio. The lack of medical care is occurring despite the availability of medication. Hepatitis C is a chronic liver infection. It’s transmitted when a person comes into contact with infectious fluids and secretions from someone else who is already infected with the hepatitis C virus. That transmission often occurs through tainted IVs and IV drug use.
The disease causes few symptoms, so most who contract Hep C don’t know they have it. There’s currently a nationwide push to get more people tested. Hepatitis C kills more Americans than any other infectious disease.
Living with the disease can be a financial burden as well as a physical one; revolutionary new treatments are available, but it can cost up to $80,000. Prevention is key, and it starts with enabling people to avoid sharing needles.