Pubdate: Sat, 02 Oct, 1999
Source: San Francisco Chronicle (CA)
Copyright: 1999 San Francisco Chronicle
Contact:  http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/
Forum: http://www.sfgate.com/conferences/
Author: Jennifer Lorvick and Karen H. Seal, M.D.

HEPATITIS EPIDEMIC

Editor -- Regarding your September 27 article on hepatitis C among 
injection drug users, San Francisco is also in the midst of a hepatitis C 
epidemic. Upwards of 90 percent of injection drug users here are infected 
with the hepatitis C virus.

Furthermore, our studies show that as many as 95 percent of injection drug 
users were infected as far back as 1987. Most of these people started 
injecting in the 1970s and are probably well into their third decade of 
infection. They may soon, if they are not already, be suffering from 
end-stage liver diseases such as cirrhosis or liver cancer. The burden of 
disease is potentially staggering, given that there are an estimated 15,000 
injection drug users in our city, of whom 13,000 may be infected.

To effectively confront this problem, we must continue to prevent new IICV 
infections through needle exchange and distribution programs. We must also 
provide hepatitis C education and medical care that specifically address 
the needs of injection drug users, the group of people most affected by 
this epidemic.

JENNIFER LORVICK

KAREN H. SEAL, M.D.

Urban Health Study UC San Francisco

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