Viral Hepatitis Awareness Month Highlights Need for Testing for Individuals With SUD

May is a significant month around hepatitis as it is recognized as Viral Hepatitis Awareness Month, with today, May 19, designated as National Hepatitis Testing Day. One group that has been challenged by hepatitis are people with substance use disorder (SUD), who continue to face a significant burden from chronic hepatitis C infections due to increased exposure risks and limited access to consistent healthcare, according to Stephanie Spivack, MD, associate program director of the fellowship program and assistant professor of clinical medicine at Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University.

“People with substance use disorder carry a big burden of the chronic hepatitis C that we're seeing, because they have unique risk factors for being exposed to hepatitis C,” said Spivack. “They are not connected to the healthcare setting in the way that many other people are, so they're not regularly getting tested potentially, and they might not be linked to some resources for testing and treatment.”

In a previous interview with Contagion, Spivack explained she works with different specialties at her institution to try to find creative ways to provide people with care, especially as there may be barriers for them to stay for their full treatment course.

"We try to make sure we have a backup plan in place. So if patients can't get IV [intravenous] antibiotics or the standard of care, we try to come up with an alternative. We coordinate with our community partners…”

Spivack emphasized that routine screening is critical because hepatitis C can remain undetected for years while still causing serious health complications and spreading within communities.

“Hepatitis C, especially, can be a silent killer, so people can have it for many years and not know that they have it,” Spivack said. “But Hepatitis C is very easily treatable now…the treatment is entirely with pills, it has a nearly 100% cure rate and can prevent some of these very preventable causes of death.”

In addition to hepatitis C treatment advances, Spivack highlighted the importance of vaccination for hepatitis A and B, noting that both viruses can lead to severe illness, hospitalization, and acute liver failure if left unaddressed.