A statewide uptick in Hepatitis C cases is most severe in Southeast Alaska, where heroin use has been on the rise.
The Juneau Empire reports that Alaska epidemiology experts found the rate of infection among those between the ages of 18 and 29 rose 490 percent in Southeast Alaska in a five-year period through 2015.
Untreated cases of the infection could cause cancer and cirrhosis in the liver.
Hepatitis C can spread when drug users share needles.
