Hepatitis C Killing More People Than HIV/AIDS

More Americans are dying due to Hepatitis C than HIV, Scientific American reports.

The number of people who die from HIV/AIDS has reached about 12,700 per year, down from its peak in the mid 1990s, when more than 50,000 people were dying each year from the virus. In contrast, about 15,000 people died from Hepatitis C-related complications in 2007, and a majority of them were between the ages of 45 and 64.

Most of the 3.2 million Americans with chronic Hepatitis C virus are Baby Boomers, and are unaware that they carry the virus. Hepatitis C is largely asymptomaic, or causes seemingly unassociated symptoms like depression or fatigue for decades. According to the report, many people don't know to seek treatment until their health is in rapid decline.