Indicator Description
Hepatitis, or inflammation of the liver, is caused by five viral strains; hepatitis C is most frequently associated with substance use. Hepatitis C virus is spread through sharing needles or "works" when shooting drugs, through needle sticks or sharps exposures, or from an infected mother to her baby during birth.

Injecting drug use is the leading risk factor for hepatitis C infection. After five years, 60 to 90 percent of users are infected. It is four times more common among injecting drug users than HIV.

What to Measure

The number of newly diagnosed hepatitis C cases during the year.

• Express as a rate per 100,000 population.
• Track the cumulative, rather than annual, number of hepatitis C cases.

Where to Find Local Data

• You should be able to get data from your state health department.

Interpretation Guidelines

There are a few things to remember when interpreting hepatitis C cases as a measure of community substance use:

• The number of cases may be generally too small for tracking reliable annual trends.
• Not all hepatitis C cases are associated with intravenous drug use.

Texas Department of State Health Services, Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Surveillance Division.