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Tippecanoe County sees 35 hepatitis C cases during April

Posted May 08, 2018 7:00 am

The Associated Press

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) - Authorities say Tippecanoe County's needle exchange program found 35 cases of hepatitis C in April.

County Commissioner Tracy Brown tells the (Lafayette) Journal and Courier "that's alarming." There were 60 participants in the needle exchange program last month. Of those, 51 were tested for the disease. That means nearly 70 percent of those tested have hepatitis C.

The county has had increasing numbers of hepatitis C cases in recent years, including about 150 cases last year. That led the county to start the needle exchange program, called Gateway to Hope.

Hepatitis C is mostly spread through sharing needles or syringes.

The program also tested 47 participants for HIV during April. There were no positive tests.

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Information from: Journal and Courier, http://www.jconline.com

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