Viral hepatitis C, active component, U.S. military service members and beneficiaries, 2008-2016.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection remains an important concern for the Military Health System (MHS). This report updates numbers and incidence rates of HCV infection of U.S. military service members and MHS beneficiaries, incorporating a surveillance period before and after 2012 screening policy changes for military members. From 2008 to 2016, there were 342 and 1,491 incident cases of acute and chronic hepatitis C, respectively, among active component members of the U.S. Armed Forces; crude overall incidence rates during the period were 2.8 (acute) and 12.2 (chronic) cases per 100,000 person-years. Annual incidence rates of chronic hepatitis C decreased over the surveillance period; however, rates of acute hepatitis C remained steady. There were 141 acute and 587 chronic incident cases among reserve/guard service members, with annual counts of both acute and chronic cases decreasing over the surveillance period. In addition, there were 2,541 acute and 21,418 chronic cases among non-service member beneficiaries, with annual counts of acute and chronic cases also decreasing steadily over the surveillance period. Given recent pharmaceutical advances in treatment, screening and linkage to care are critical to improving health outcomes for those with HCV infection.