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Reported Hepatitis C Cases Up in Wisconsin
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Associated Press
Sept 1, 2004
Jenny Price
Wisconsin had 18,082 reported hepatitis C virus (HCV) cases as of 2003, state Epidemiologist Angela Russell said Wednesday. There was a five-fold increase between the 828 cases reported in 1997 — the state's first year collecting the data — and 4,203 cases reported in 2002, possibly due to increased testing and reporting requirement awareness, said Russell. There was a subsequent decrease in 2003 to 3,593 new hepatitis C cases.
Among newly reported HCV cases between 1997 and 2003, males comprised two-thirds; 70 percent were age 40 and older; 29 percent lived in Milwaukee; and 15 percent were among state prisons inmates, according to the state Division of Public Health.
The data, based on reports submitted by laboratories and public health departments, do not reflect the actual number of people who have HCV since most people do not exhibit symptoms or get tested, said Russell. The data will help the state assess where to focus its efforts on education and prevention. "People have had this for 20 to 30 years and just didn't know," Russell said.
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