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RALEIGH, N.C. — Dramatic increases in cases of Hepatitis B and C in North Carolina have led health officials to urge residents to get tested.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services says in a news release that between 2014 and 2016, new cases of hepatitis B were up by 56 percent. The agency said cases of hepatitis C increased by 69 percent during the same period.
Based on preliminary data, 172 new cases of hepatitis B and 186 new cases of hepatitis C were reported across the state in 2016. In 2014, there were 110 new cases each of type B and type C reported.
The state Division of Public Health recommends that people avoid sharing needles and get vaccinated for hepatitis A and B. There's no vaccine for hepatitis C.
Associated Press
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