Summer 1996 Volume 1, Number 2		U.S. trends in hepatitis C Linda Moyer and colleagues from CDC reported on a review of acute hepatitis C cases in the CDC Sentinel County Study (a high-intensity surveillance system in four U.S. counties). The trend in incidence is down -acute HC rates dropped by 63% from 1983-89 to 1990-94, from 8 per 100,000 to 3 per 100,000. Cases are getting older, too. In 1983-89, the highest incidence was in the 15-29 age group. By 1990-94 the highest rate had shifted to the 30-44 age group. The number of HC reports associated with blood transfusions or intravenous drug abuse has been decreasing. Only 4% of case reports are now associated with blood transfusions. The number of cases associated with intravenous drug abuse has dropped 80% since 1989, although it still accounts for 25-38% of cases. The authors conclude that most of the decrease in acute HC incidence in the Sentinel Counties is due to a decrease in drug abuse-associated cases (Recent trends in the epidemiology of acute hepatitis C in the United States. L Moyer, M Alter, H Margolis, and the Sentinel Counties Viral Hepatitis Study Group).