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Reduce reported rate of hepatitis C-related deaths by 20% or more
Met or exceeded current annual target
Moving toward annual target, but annual target was not fully met
Annual target was not met and has not changed or moved away from annual target
Source: National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) data in this report are from the 2018–Present Provisional Multiple Cause of Death Data files in the CDC WONDER online database as of November 12, 2023.1
* Rates are per 100,000 and age-adjusted to the 2000 US Standard Population.
† Cause of death is defined as the underlying cause of death or one of the multiple causes of death and is based on the International Classification of Disease, 10th Revision (ICD-10) codes B17.1 or B18.2.2
Summary of findings
The age-adjusted hepatitis C-related death rate increased each year from 2010–2013 but began to decline in 2014. The age-adjusted hepatitis C-related death rate decreased from 4.13 deaths per 100,000 population in 2017 to 2.89 in 2022, below the annual target rate of 3.19. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on overall mortality during 2020–2022 might have affected hepatitis C-related death rates; therefore, 2020–2022 data should be interpreted with caution.
Reduction needed to meet 2025 goal:
The 2022 rate of hepatitis C-related deaths is 4% below the 2025 goal of 3.00 deaths per 100,000 population.
Further reduction can best be achieved by:
- Increasing access to screening and testing for hepatitis C.
- Increasing access to timely curative treatment by lowering costs, eliminating policy barriers (for example, prior authorization requirements), improving navigation to care, and integrating treatment into routine primary care.
- Building the capacity of the health care system to identify and link persons with hepatitis C to care (such as through electronic health record solutions and telemedicine).
- Supporting continuing medical education and implementing educational campaigns to encourage universal hepatitis C screening among adults.
Technical notes
Data sources:
CDC, National Vital Statistics System (NVSS)
Numerator:
Number of death records with a report of hepatitis C listed as the underlying or one of the multiple causes of death
Denominator:
Total United States Census population
Indicator notes:
Death certificates are completed for all deaths registered in the US.1 Information for death certificates is provided to funeral directors or cremation organizations by attending physicians, medical examiners, and coroners. Death certificates are filed in vital statistics offices within each state and the District of Columbia. Through the NVSS, information from death certificates is compiled by CDC to produce national Multiple Cause of Death data; causes of death are coded in accordance with the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10).2 National Multiple Cause of Death data from NVSS were obtained and analyzed, and those death records with a report of hepatitis C (ICD-10: B17.1 or B18.2) listed as the underlying or one of the multiple (contributing) causes of death in the record were enumerated. Rates were calculated as the number of deaths related to hepatitis C among US residents of the 50 states and the District of Columbia divided by the total US Census population using the postcensal estimates of the July 1 resident population. Rates were standardized to the age distribution of the 2000 US Standard Population.3
Goal setting:
The 2025 goal of 3.00 hepatitis C-related deaths per 100,000 population is consistent with CDC’s Division of Viral Hepatitis 2025 Strategic Plan and the US Department of Health and Human Services’ 2021–2025 Viral Hepatitis National Strategic Plan. Annual targets assume a constant (linear) rate of change from the observed baseline (2017 data year) to the 2025 goal (2023 data year).
Limitations:
Death data must be interpreted with caution due to the potential for misclassification of ICD-10 codes on the death record, underrepresentation of certain racial and/or ethnic populations in US Census data, and underreporting of viral hepatitis as a cause of death on death certificates.4
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. 2018–Present Provisional Multiple Cause of Death on CDC WONDER Online Database. Data are compiled from data provided by the 57 vital statistics jurisdictions through the Vital Statistics Cooperative Program. Accessed November 12, 2023.
- World Health Organization. International Classification of Diseases. Geneva: World Health Organization.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Viral Hepatitis Surveillance – United States, 2022. Published March 2024. Accessed [date].
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Provisional Mortality Statistics by Multiple Cause of Death and by Single Race for 2018 through Present. Accessed January 31, 2024.