Dear Baby Boomers: Hep C Isn’t Your Fault, According to New Study

A new report indicates the hepatitis C (HCV) epidemic peaked between 1940 and 1965 with reused medical syringes to blame, not injection drug use or high risk sexual practices among baby boomers, as has often been claimed.

Researchers and advocates alike hope this new information will help dispel some of the stigma attached to having hep C – particularly for older adults – and encourage more people to get tested and connected with potentially life-saving treatment. The research is further proof that anyone born between 1945 and 1964 should be tested for HCV, even if they feel like they’ve never been at risk.

Published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal, the research shows that the hepatitis C epidemic can be traced to hospital transmissions caused by the practice of reusing needles in medical settings.

Dr. Julio Montaner from the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS partnered with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to investigate why 75 percent of the up to 6 million adults living with Hep C in North America were born between 1945 and 1964.

“The theory was that in North America the hepatitis C epidemic in baby boomers was due to some behavioral indiscretions that generation had in their younger years,” Montaner said in a statement to the press. “That understanding led to the significant development of stigma around Hep C.”

To trace the disease back in time, the researchers scoured over 45,000 records, discovering that most of the baby boomers were roughly five years-old around the peak of the hep C epidemic in 1950.

“Thus, it is unlikely that past sporadic risky behavior – experimentation with injecting drug use, unsafe tattooing, high risk sex, travel to endemic areas – was the dominant route of transmission in this group,” the study concludes.

Scroll to Top

During the Canada Post strike announced September 25, 2025, the following measures will be undertaken to minimize service disruption to BC-CfE clients and providers.

  • The BC-CfE Laboratory has transitioned to private courier for delivery of outgoing reports and documents. Results required urgently can be faxed upon request. (Lab Contact Information: Phone 604-806-8775; FAX 604-806-9463)
  • The BC-CfE Drug Treatment Program (DTP) will fax outgoing forms and documents to the provider’s office. (DTP Contact Information: Phone 604-806-8515; FAX 604-806-9044)
  • St. Paul’s Hospital Ambulatory Pharmacy has transitioned to private courier for delivery of medications. We recommend requesting medication at least 2 weeks in advance in case of delivery delays, particularly to rural/remote parts of BC. (Contact Information: Phone 1-800-547-3622; FAX 604-806-8675)

During the Canada Post strike, we recommend that documents be faxed or couriered to our sites, versus utilization of regular mail service

The BC-CfE Laboratory is streamlining reporting processes for certain tests in order to simplify distribution and record-keeping, and to ensure completeness of results. Beginning September 2, 2025, results for the ‘Resistance Analysis of HIV-1 Protease and Reverse Transcriptase’ (Protease-RT) and ‘HIV-1 Integrase Resistance Genotype’ tests will be combined into a single ‘HIV-1 Resistance Genotype Report’.
For more details and example reports, please click on the button below