By Ethan Covey
The opioid epidemic has resulted in an increase in drug overdose deaths and acute hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections among young people who might be organ donors, according to a new report by the CDC.
The proportion of increased-risk organ donors (IRDs) has grown 200% since 2010, the study reported. The increase is likely due to higher rates of drug intoxication as the cause of death among donors (MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2019;68:61-66).
Still, the CDC epidemiologists