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Official website

of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

    The .gov means it's official.

    Local, state, and federal government websites often end in .gov. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania government websites and email systems use "pennsylvania.gov" or "pa.gov" at the end of the address. Before sharing sensitive or personal information, make sure you're on an official state website. 

    Viral Hepatitis Surveillance Reports

    The Pennsylvania Department of Health summarized viral hepatitis electronic disease surveillance data from 2013 to 2022. View the full report. View a summary of 2024 DOH data. This summary excludes Philadelphia data which is available here. Rates of viral hepatitis in Pennsylvania, excluding Philadelphia, are lower than national rates but counts of acute and chronic cases are substantial. This work informs viral hepatitis elimination planning and efforts to increase service access for populations in need including people who use drugs and people of reproductive age. The Pennsylvania Department of Health (PA DOH) will continue to partner with organizations that serve populations in need to increase service delivery at facility types such as correctional institutions and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC). 

    Vulnerability Assessment

    In 2015, following an HIV and related hepatitis C outbreak resulting from needle-sharing in Scott County, Indiana, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducted a study to assess which U.S. counties were at risk for a similar outbreak. In 2020, Pennsylvania conducted an in-state vulnerability assessment with more recent, census tract-level data to determine which communities are at the highest risk of bloodborne infections associated with unsterile drug use and drug overdose deaths. This assessment was updated in 2025 and the full report is available here.

    Hepatitis C Care Continuum Summary 2020 - 2024

    The Pennsylvania Department of Health summarized hepatitis C data to highlight the potential number of Pennsylvanians still in need of hepatitis C curative treatment. Of those ever infected with hepatitis C, it's estimated that 60% or over 27,000 Pennsylvanians, excluding Philadelphians, are still in need of treatment. This work highlights access to care issues to be addressed Commonwealth-wide. The Philadelphia Department of Public Health also developed a similar hepatitis C care continuum.

    Hepatitis C Services in PA Drug and Alcohol Facilities

    In 2019 and 2020, a random sample of PA licensed drug and alcohol treatment facilities were surveyed to determine the availability of hepatitis C-related services. Pennsylvania residents seeking drug and alcohol treatment are a high-risk population for HCV infection. Only about a third of facilities offer hepatitis C-related services. The Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs are collaborating to address barriers and increase services in these settings statewide. A summary report of the survey results is availability here: Assessment of Hepatitis C-Related Services in Pennsylvania Drug and Alcohol Facilities.

    Viral Hepatitis Services in PA FQHCs

    A survey about viral hepatitis service offerings was sent in 2023 to a random sample of FQHCs and look-alikes across the state in collaboration with the Pennsylvania Association of Community Health Centers. While over 75% of respondent sites offered hepatitis C testing, less than a third of these sites offered testing to all clients on an opt-out basis, allowing clients to more easily refuse testing given stigma around testing. Treatment access after a hepatitis C diagnosis is also a concern given only half of sites offer hepatitis C treatment onsite. Similarly, over 75% of sites offered hepatitis B testing on-site, but only a third offered hepatitis B treatment onsite. The main barriers to providing these services are a lack of training amongst the staff and funding for the services. The Pennsylvania Department of Health and PACHC will work together to address barriers to improve access to viral hepatitis prevention, testing, and treatment services Commonwealth-wide. View the​ Viral Hepatitis Services in Pennsylvania Federally Qualified Health Centers report.

    Viral Hepatitis Services in PA County Jails

    The Pennsylvania Department of Health conducted a survey in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections assessing viral hepatitis services in Pennsylvania county jails. In 2023, many county jails provided hepatitis A vaccine onsite, but many fewer offer hepatitis B vaccine. Most county jails provided onsite hepatitis C testing but not hepatitis B testing. In addition, confirmatory hepatitis C testing was not widely available: thus, hepatitis C could not be diagnosed onsite. Common barriers to testing included lack of funding, staff time, and laboratory equipment. Bridging these barriers and integrating viral hepatitis services in correctional settings is critical to eliminate viral hepatitis within Pennsylvania. Statewide partners need to work together to expand and improve county jail viral hepatitis service delivery and treatment access. View the​ Assessment of Viral Hepatitis Services in County Jails.