Virus Traces Discovered in The Brain Lining of People With Schizophrenia
“The hepatitis C virus (HCV) may play a role in mental health disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depression, according to a new study. Experts have long noted links between these psychiatric disorders and certain viral infections, but direct evidence of the viruses inside human brains is lacking.”
Epidemiologic Decline in Chronic Hepatitis C Infection
“A study published in July 2025 issue of Lancet Gastroenterology and Hepatology highlighted Georgia’s progress toward hepatitis C elimination and emphasized the need to monitor new hepatitis C virus (HCV) cases as the country approaches low-incidence targets set by the WHO.”
Coloradan participating in this weekend’s Donor Dash in Denver says transplantation changed his life: ‘It saved me’
“The 26th annual Donor Dash takes place this weekend in Denver, and among the participants will be a Coloradan whose life was changed drastically by transplantation. A dozen years ago Doug French, 74, was struggling with burning eyes and swelling. He was living with hepatitis C.”
Successful Hepatitis C Treatment Lowers Heart and Kidney Disease Risk
“Successful treatment for hepatitis C doesn’t just protect the liver—it may also lower the risk of serious health conditions such as stroke, heart attack, kidney disease and neurocognitive decline. These findings, highlighting the wider health benefits of early hepatitis C detection and care, were published in JAMA Network Open.”
Bridging data gap essential to eliminating hepatitis C
“Artenie and colleagues presented the first global, regional and national estimates of hepatitis C virus incidence among people who inject drugs — a population often overlooked in surveillance.”
SAMHSA Announces Grant Funding for Community Health Providers Hepatitis C Elimination Initiative Pilot
“The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), is announcing the notice of a funding opportunity (NOFO) for a new Hepatitis C Elimination Initiative Pilot. SAMHSA estimates awarding between 13 to 40 grants. This grant will be up to three years, and the amount funded will be based on a tiered system explained in the NOFO. Applications are due no later than August 1, 2025.”
Non-Targeted Hepatitis C Screening Proves Superior in EDs
“The DETECT Hep C trial randomized 147,498 adult patient visits across three urban emergency departments, in Denver, Colorado; Baltimore, Maryland; and Jackson, Mississippi, to either non-targeted or targeted HCV screening as part of routine care. In the non-targeted group (n = 73,847), HCV testing was universally offered, resulting in 9,867 individuals (13.4%) being tested and 154 new diagnoses. In the targeted group (n = 73,651), 23,400 patients (31.8%) were identified as at risk based on factors such as birth cohort or injection drug use, with 4,640 (6.3%) ultimately tested and 115 new HCV cases identified—a 34% relative increase in new diagnoses for the non-targeted approach (relative risk, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.05–1.70; P = .02).”
Hepatitis C treatment gaps persist in postpartum women, children
“Two studies conducted by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis highlight gaps in hepatitis C virus (HCV) care among children and recently pregnant women, 2 populations vulnerable to long-term adverse liver outcomes. The findings, published in Pediatrics and Obstetrics & Gynecology Open, underscore how race, age, geography, and peripartum status affect access to direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy, despite the availability of effective treatment.”
