State-Mandated Laws to Provide HCV Testing Can Promote Better Diagnosis and Treatment of HCV Infection

​State-mandated laws to promote testing for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections can increase the number of people who know their HCV status and, if infected, seek treatment to reduce HCV-related morbidity and mortality, says an article in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's September 29, 2017, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. About 75% of the estimated 2.7 million people in the United States living with HCV infection are unaware of their status. The infection increases the risk for liver cancer and other HCV-related liver disease. Since 2012, CDC has recommended that baby boomers, born between 1945 and 1965, receive one-time HCV testing because 75% of all HCV infections are in this birth cohort.