County-level Hepatitis C-Related Mortality Data:
HepVu released new interactive maps visualizing U.S. county-level Hepatitis C-related mortality, illustrating how factors such as age and geographic region affect health outcomes. Published in Hepatology, the data demonstrate that Hepatitis C-related mortality has been decreasing across the U.S. since 2013.
Key findings included:
- Between 2013 and 2017, 1 in 5 counties saw an increase in Hepatitis C-related death rates, despite Hepatitis C-related mortality decreasing nationally.
- In 2017, the West, Southwest, Appalachia, and northern Florida saw the highest rates of Hepatitis C-related mortality.
- The highest burden of Hepatitis C-related death rates among people under 40 in 2017 occurred in New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Appalachia. The rates in the central Appalachian region continued to increase through 2017. These regions are also experiencing increases of injection drug use as a result of the ongoing opioid epidemic.
Opioid Prescription and Mortality Rates:
HepVu added county-level opioid prescription and overdose mortality rates data and maps to visualize the relationship between opioid prescription practices and drug overdose mortality and illustrate how the differences among geographic regions can affect health outcomes. These maps visualize 2019 county-level opioid prescription and overdose mortality rates from 2014 to 2019 across the U.S.
Treatment Restrictions:
HepVu added new data and comparison maps visualizing Hepatitis C treatment restrictions at the state-level from 2017 to 2021, utilizing insights from the Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation (CHLPI) at Harvard Law School and the National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable (NVHR)’s Hepatitis C: The State of Medicaid Access report. HepVu also enhanced its state profiles to feature each state’s Hepatitis C treatment restrictions.
The U.S. has made tremendous progress in eliminating or scaling back these treatment restrictions since tracking began in 2017. Due to the continued and diligent work of viral hepatitis organizations such as CHLPI and NVHR many states have eliminated or loosened restrictions.
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