At a glance
Reported risk behaviors or exposures among reported cases* of acute hepatitis C — United States, 2022
Source: CDC, National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System.
* Reported confirmed cases. For the case definition, see Acute Hepatitis C.
† Reported cases may include more than one risk behavior/exposure. Case reports with at least one of the following risk behaviors/exposures reported 6 weeks to 6 months prior to symptom onset or documented seroconversion if asymptomatic: 1) injection drug use; 2) multiple sexual partners; 3) underwent surgery; 4) men who have sex with men; 5) sexual contact with suspected/confirmed hepatitis C case; 6) sustained a percutaneous injury; 7) household contact with suspected/confirmed hepatitis C case; 8) occupational exposure to blood; 9) dialysis; and 10) transfusion.
§ A total of 3,227 acute hepatitis C cases were reported among males in 2022.
¶ Cases with more than one type of contact reported were categorized according to a hierarchy: (1) sexual contact; (2) household contact (nonsexual).
Summary
Health departments might conduct investigations of newly reported acute hepatitis C cases to ascertain risk behaviors and exposures associated with infection. However, investigations might not be possible for all cases if patients are lost to follow-up or if health departments lack adequate resources for investigating all cases reported in their jurisdiction.
Among risk behaviors and exposures identified for reported cases of acute hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in 2022, injection drug use was most commonly reported (52% of the 1,595 cases for which injection drug use information was available). HCV transmission associated with surgery, dialysis, or transfusion is extremely rare in the United States; thus, the reporting of these exposures might represent a history of recent receipt of these healthcare procedures and do not necessarily indicate these procedures were associated with HCV transmission.