Why We're HereTestimony of Gary A. Roselle, M. D. Program Director for Infectious Diseases Veterans Health Administration Department of Veterans Affairs Before the Subcommittee on Benefits Committee on Veterans’ Affairs U.S. House of Representatives April 13, 2000 state one in 10 US veterans are infected with HCV, a rate five times greater than the 1.8% infection rate of the general population. A study conducted by the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), and involving 26,000 veterans shows that up to 10% of all veterans in the VHA system tested positive for hepatitis C.
Of the total number of persons who were hepatitis C antibody positive and reported an era of service, 62.7% were noted to be from the Vietnam era. The second most frequent group is listed as post-Vietnam at 18.2%, followed by 4.8% Korean conflict, 4.3% post-Korean conflict, 4.2% from WWII, and 2.7% Persian Gulf era veterans.
75% of the estimated people with HCV are Veterans
References: Lennox Jeffers, a professor at the School of Medicine, also plays a critical role in advancing clinical knowledge about hepatitis C. Jeffers, chief of hepatology and director of the Center of Excellence for Hepatitis C at the Miami Veterans Affairs Medical Center, studies the disease in the veteran population. Between 10 and 15 percent of U.S. veterans are infected with HCV, which is a much higher prevalence than in the private sector. |
