The hepatitis C crisis.

An estimated 170 million persons (3% of the world's population) are infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV), and 3 to 4 million persons are newly infected each year. Of those infected, 70%-85% develop chronic viremia with the potential for devastating long-term sequelae, including chronic liver disease, cirrhosis, hepatic failure, and hepatocellular carcinoma. The passivity in the public health sector and in the medical community at large with respect to hepatitis C portends a myriad of societal, fiscal, and personal costs for the United States within the next two decades unless immediate actions are taken to intervene in the natural history of this emerging public health crisis.