By Ethan Covey
Rates of hepatitis C virus (HCV), which has been shown to disproportionately affect American Indian/Alaska Native people, have decreased in Alaska, according to a newly published CDC report.
However, even with recent declines, HCV rates among Alaskan adults remain more than twice that of national levels (MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2025;74[10]:161-166).
“More than 2 million people in the U.S. have hepatitis C, with recent increases noted in association with injection drug use,” said Heather M. Scobie, PhD, the epidemiology team lead, CDC Arctic Investigations Program, Anchorage, Alaska. “When left untreated, hepatitis C infection often leads to serious and sometimes deadly outcomes, such as liver cancer and liver failure.”
In Alaska, the average annual rate of newly reported chronic HCV cases decreased by 30% from 2016-2019 to 2020-2023. Overall, 5,352 confirmed chronic HCV cases were reported among adults aged 18 years and older from 2016 to 2023. During that period, the average annual case rate (cases per 100,000 population) was 121. The case rate declined by 30% from a high of 142 during 2016 to 2019, to 99 during 2020 to 2023.
Rates decreased for most groups but remained higher overall among men, adults from 18 to 39 years, residents of rural areas and American Indian/Alaska Native people. Rates among adults in Alaska between 18 and 39 years were more than double national rates, according to the report.
“Further research is needed to better understand factors that contribute to HCV transmission, such as differences in access to testing and treatment,” Dr. Scobie said.
Dr. Scobie reported no relevant financial disclosures.
