the cdc hopes the new standards will save lives.its director briefed reporters on a conference call >> the guideline provides the best available research today and will refine it as new science becomes available. the ongoing impact of prescription overdoses and effect on american lives, families and communities means that we have to act now. 2014 set a record for deaths related to opioid abuse with more than 28,000 people dying of overdoses. the medical community has also been distressed by the limping between opioid pain-killers and heroin. many patients who develop addictions to pain medication later turned to the drug which offers a similar but less expensive high. the national institute on drug abuse finds that more than 75% of heroin abusers in the 2000s started out by using prescription pain-killers. in 2014 we spoke to an addiction specialist in vermont where the problem is severe. >> in early 2000 and 20001 i saw 21-year-olds coming to me with an addiction. it started out with pills >> reporter: opioids are prescribed for ba

now the cdc says they should no longer be the first choice. telling doctors to use ice, tylenol or ibuprofen first and avoid opiates if the patient is already on certain anti-angst it meds. if prescribing opiates start with a low dose. three days should be enough for most patients. >> it's terrible. dying. we're losing 76 people a day to opiods and 36 of them are prescription opiods. >> reporter: desperate for health sarah wilson joined a trial and an injection in her arm stopped her opiod craving. >> i don't think i would be alive if not for the medication. >> reporter: as the nation works to stop a growing addiction to painkillers. tom costello, nbc a moment with actor >>> ahead of president obama's historic trip next week the white house has eased even more restrictions on cuba. tourism is still barred, but americans can now legally visit cuba on their own by claiming it is for educational purposes. mail service is also being restored between the two countries for the first time in over 50 years, and baseball fans negotiations are cubans to

now the cdc says they should no longer be the first choice. telling doctors to use ice, tylenol or ibuprofen first and avoid opiates if the patient is already on certain anti-angst it meds. if prescribing opiates three days should be enough for most patients. >> it's terrible. you know, people are dying. we're losing 76 people a day to opiods and 36 of them are prescription opiods. >> reporter: desperate for health sarah wilson joined a trial and an injection in her arm stopped her opiod craving. >> i don't think i would be alive if not for the medication. >> reporter: as the nation works to stop a growing addiction to painkillers. tom costello, nbc news. >>> and we're back in a moment with actor harrison ford every insurance policy has a number. but not every insurance company understands the life behind it. for those who've served and the families that have supported them, we offer our best usaa. we know what it means to serve. get an insurance quote and see why 92% of our members plan to stay for life. ( ) the roles you play in life are par

@monitor it absolutely. @>> reporter: the cdc advisory @which is not legally binding @recognizes that the doctors @avoid opiates at first and @especially if they are using @certain anxiety medications. @three days supply should be @enough for most. @one months prescription -- one @month's prescription only @lasted amy one day. @pain from withdrawal, not @surgery. @>> reporter: she declined pain @meds after a recent surgery. @>> the pain that i have every @day isn't comparable to the @amount of pain i was @experiencing taking @prescription pain medication. @that is the truth. @>> reporter: the cdc messages @actually aimed a lot that @primary care physicians who @prescribe more than half of @the opiate pain medication @across the nation. reporting @live in akron, monica robins @channel 3 news. @>>> surveillance cameras @caught an atm smashing gravida @cleveland convenience store. @the suspects to off -- drove a @king the -- minivan through @the front of a convenience @store. @they grabbed the atm once @inside and they took off. @police are still looking for @suspects but no one was @inj

>> well, i think the cdc guidelines, because it's the cdc and it's a federal organization that carries so much influence, i think these guidelines issued from the cdc will have a huge impact on the culture. and that doctors will in fact change the standard of care. i think like it's already happening. the implementation, though, of the guidelines in real life has several important obstacles. a lot of the patients that primary care doctors get are inherited patients. they come to them already on high doses. so it's not a matter of telling primary care doctors don't start the patient on opioids. it is a matter of starting those primary care doctors to get their patients off of opioids which is a long and arduous process. another thing you raised randall about insurance companies. it's easy to say use some nonopioid alternative. but in a lot of rural areas patients don't have access to physical therapy and mindness meditation. and insurance companies won't pay for it randall. >> thank you, for taking a deeper look. >> thanks for having me. >> you're welcome. >> up next: a majority develop

nbc's tom costello has the health alert every family should hear. >> reporter: from the cdc today, a nationwide health alert. the country, it says, is in the midst of an epidemic of painkiller abuse. strong opiates with percocet, hydrocodone, oxycodone. now the cdc is urging doctors to reconsider whether the opiates they prescribe are really necessary. >> these painkillers are very addictive. they are opioid medications, and it has the same chemical properties in it as heroin. >> reporter: in jacksonville, sarah wilson, a mother of four was taking up to 35 hydrocodone pills a day. >> i was taking painkillers to get out of bed in the morning, to be able to function on any level. >> reporter: it started when her doctor prescribed the opiates after she suffered serious injuries in a car accident. for years, opiates were the drug of choice for treating serious pain, especially after surgery or injury. now the cdc says they should no longer be the first choice, telling doctors to use ice, tylenol, or ibuprofen first. avoid opiates if a patient is already on certain anti-anxiety meds. if p

tell me what you are feeling. >> reporter: today the cdc said enough is enough. dr. tom friedman. >> it is driven by doctor prescribing. but because doctor prescribing drove this, doctor prescribing can also help stop it. >> reporter: the cdc recommendations include patients and doctors should kid pain management that doesn't include opioids, physical therapy, exercise and medications like ibuprofen. before prescribing opio ds. outline addiction, and they >> a lot of people who get into problems with opiates, start with acute pain. for most episodes. three days will be enough. it is very rare that more than seven days will be needed. >> the cdc hopes clinicians will check an online database to see if the patient has been going to doctors to get the drugs. >> they scan be a gateway to heroin as well. jon, thank you very much. >> in a moment, what the chinese say about trump. >>> donald trump never passes up a chance to mention china. as recently as six months ago, seth doan found that few chinese had ever heard of him. they know him now and have plenty of opinions. a

we have a link to the cdc there. we wanted to know what the symptoms of the zika virus were so we consulted with the cdc. only one in five people infected with the virus will get sick. the illness is usually mild. symptoms are fever, rash, joint pain or pink eye. >> whoa have details on two firefighters in virginia. they were suspended because they took an 18-month-old girl to the hospital in the back of the fire truck. it is thanks to backlash city officials got on facebook. over the week end the two decided instead of waiting for an ambulance that was going to be more than 10 minutes they needed to get the little girl to the hospital right away. they did and they saved her life, but they were suspended for not following protocol. >> i support them 100%. if i was in the same position i would have done the exact same thing. we understand policy and protocol. we understand the standard operating guidelines. but they are just that, guidelines and they don't cover everything. >> denise: they understand common sense too.

now the cdc says they should no longer be the first choice. telling doctors to use ice, tylenol, or ibuprofen first. avoid opiates if a patient is already on certain anti-anxiety meds. if prescribing opiates, start with a low dose. three days should be enough for most patients. >> it's terrible. it's -- you know, people are dying. we're losing 76 people a day to opioids, and i think 46 of them are prescription opioid overdoses. >> reporter: desperate for help, sarah wilson joined a clinical trial. an implanted drug in her arm stops her opiate craving. >> i don't think i would be alive if it wasn't for medication. >> reporter: as the nation struggles with the growing addiction to painkillers. tom costello, nbc news, washington. >>> and we are back in a moment with actor harrison ford putting on his fedora again to slip back into another one of his iconic roles. >>> we are back with a big breaking update in this big super tuesday election night. nbc news now projecting that john kasich has won the gop race in his home state of ohio. a major vict

@i applaud the cdc and i hope @the physicians honor that. @>> the guidelines are targeted @to primary care doctors who @prescribe half of the opiates. @doctors are not obligated to @follow the recommendations. @but some local hospitals have @already started similar @protocols in an effort to stem @the epidemic. @>> thank you. @>>> this was not on the ballot @today but i vote for sunny and @85 degrees every day. @is that a possibility? @>> in san diego yes. @not in cleveland. @a mixed bag ahead. @let's show you your forecast @for tomorrow. @not looking bad. @50s in the morning. @the morning drive and evening @drive may see a brief shower in @the morning. @maybe a pop up sprinkle or @shower. @an active weather pattern is @moving through. @tonight we are tracking showers @popping up in huron and eerie @counties. @this is the leading edge of a @warmer air mass moving in and @showers popped up there. @to the west of norwalk. @they come up to the shore way @and the turnpike in the next 30 @minutes. @may see thunder or two as well. @and then they head up over the @lake. @much of the activity

basically -- first we're going to have the cdc speak. dr.ill set this up so people have baseline information. >> great, thank you very much. i want to thank chairman upton and representatives murphy and other members of this committee for your commitment to address concussions as a pressing public health issue. i'd like to thank at congressional brain injury task force who have been champions of tbi for years. we want to share the latest data on the burden to americans. in the press release announcing this roundtable, the chairman noted that there is a lot that we actually don't know about head trauma. how it affects different subsets of the population, the short and lo long-term effects and other critical details. he is right. that's why i also want to highlight the proposed cdc national concussion surveillance efforts system and our efforts to help fill these data gaps. it's in our minds one of the paths forward. so no one ever wants to hear or even imagine that a family member or friend has suffered a traumatic brain injury. unfortunately

until i saw it was the cdc. >> the cdc is usually very straight-laced and doesn't use words like that>> hoffman: if this is a really big public health problem, who's in charge of this problem for the united states government? can you tell me who's in charge? >> who's in charge of resistance? >> hoffman: of antimicrobial resistance and fighting it, and it's a threat to public health, right? >> it is a threat. >> hoffman: who's in charge with dealing with that? with coordinating it? >> well, i think that the issue of who's in charge of combating antimicrobial resistance speaks to the fact that this is a very, very complex problem. so there's not one single group that can take full ownership of solving the problem of resistance. >> hoffman: when i look at the department of health and human services, for example, i look at the assistant secretaries, there's not an assistant secretary who deals with antimicrobial resistance. there is for other kinds of health problems. it seems that this is a problem that hasn't actually registered in the high levels of the government. it's a crisis, you s

. @>> and how the cdc is helping @>> i have been tracking severe @weather to the west tonight. @how those storms will impact @you on your wednesday morning @commute coming up. @ @>>> channel 3 news at 11:00 @p.m. @ @it is a tight one for the @prosecutor's office. @michael o'malley is widening @his lead against tim mcginty @with more than 7,000 votes at @this point. @half of precincts reporting. @we will continue to follow this @race as it goes into the night. @>> looking ahead to the race @for u.s. senate. @ted strickland is beating out @pj by a good margin. @strickland will face morton in @the general election. @>> the 7th district, patten @beat out jennifer herald. @patson the senate majority @limit but up against term @limits. @he will be up against david in @the general election. @the deer bow hunting issue. @the issue is passing in all six @cities. @voters passed issue 23, the @renewal tax with 71% voting for @and 29% voting against. @>>> a break from election @coverage for developing health @news. @we have known about the heroin @epidemic and tonight the @centers for dise

the cdc says it could be linked to birth defects... and a doctor here in colorado says some women here are worried. the cdc says there are no commercially available diagnostic tests for zika virus disease...coming up at 5:30... i'll talk about how you should go about the testing process if you think there's a chance you could have zika...remember zika spread by a type of doesn't live in colorado. a drug that could save lives is going down the drain. the way billions of dollars in cancer medicine is going to to make every much -- again! i'm talking forbes magazine annual list of the world's richest people. the co-founder and chairman of the dish network is still the wealthiest person in colorado. charlie ergan has a net work estimated at 12-point-2 billion...that's enough to rank him as the 77th richest person in the world and 36th in this coutry -- up from last year when he ranked 43rd wealthiest in the u-s. besides ergen, there are 8 other coloradans on the list this year. administration has a new commissioner and he's taking action t

i think the cdc guidelines are intended to achieve that. economics, that really comes down to whether insurance companies can be talked into this kind of reimbursement if they are given a strong reason. i think we have a stronger case that needs to be made about moving where we have been from drugs that are so abuse prone to things that are safer. >> if there is any insurance company listening, they would be coverage of allow these abuse deterrent drugs because they do want to know what would happen if they don't. thank you. >> thank you, mr. chairman. we will go to the ranking member, the gentlelady from new york. >> thank you very much, mr. chairman. we are with our chairman in this issue. i want to get back to the cancer moonshot because when you look at the numbers and you think of the number of people in this room whose lives have been touched with a loved one who is suffering from cancer, i'm thrilled that we are focusing on this issue. in 2015, there were nearly 1.7 million cases of cancer diagnosed in the united states. i'm very ple

three counties in our region that are catching the attention of the cdc tonight. kevin: winds will eventually subside , over the past hour we mile-per-hour wind gust. we will be joined by chance for rain too. i will you know in my full forecast. you are watching there's more to life than the climb. there's the view. you've gotta stop and look around a little. asheville. asheville. asheville. an unspoken invitation come up for air. asheville. discovery, inside and out. mike: we' re staying on top of that breaking news in brussels. where police raids are underway to find the terror suspect that' s believed to have escaped following today' s bombings at the brussels airport. sheree: two others involved in the airport attack are believed to be dead. more than 30 people were killed and 200 injured in a series of bombings at the airport and a -- and a third at the subway station near the headquarters of the european union. ohio governor john kasich called today' s bombings an attack on our very way of life. and the values that our political systems have been built on. j

julie fernandez of orlando disagrees with the cdc that the benefits of these drugs are unproven. dr. fernandez: i can' t say that it' s unproven because obviously i see the outcome of the relief of the pain. matt: for chronic pain the cdc recommends physical therapy, exercise, and over the counter meds like ibuprofen. diane gracely was hit by a drunk driver and suffers from a rare painful disorder. she worries the guidelines will make it harder to get the meds she says makes life livable. diane gracely: if it comes to a point where they take away my pain meds, i won' t be here no more. i will be one of the suicides. matt: matt grant, wesh 2 news. jim: the guidelines do not apply to active cancer patients or those receiving end of life care. the american cancer society opposes the guidelines saying this will now limit access to needed medication for cancer survivors who still experience angela: a local father has been taking cell phone videos of cars racing past school buses. he became angry after seeing so many cars of pilot the law and put students lives in danger. you can see c

we're live outside the hospital to explain who the cdc thinks may have been exposed. by all accounts this man's symptoms escalated quickly. doctors say it does not take long for weems to be like a really bad cold to turn deadly. >> when you get sick they're not specific flu like symptoms. could be nausea, muscle aches and chills. but you get a severe headache, some people even have seizures. >> the patient died here at complaining of just those sorts of symptoms. we're told he had recently flown from argentina arriving in the tristate area to visit family before feeling ill and checking himself into this rockland county medical center. right now the cdc is in the process of reaching out to airline crew and passengers who may have come into contact with him. they're not taking any chances with an infection that could quickly turn into a killer. a statement wasease reading in part. at this time there are no exposures of concern in rockland county. there is no risk of further spread of meningitis to local residents. >> if i get a call and i was on this plane with this pe

the cdc released this new map, the cdc expanding the range and includes all of new jersey and delaware and the southeastern part of pennsylvania. and officials stretch that the mosquitos presence doesn't mean it will cause disease in those areas. >>> it may not be news to people in the nation's capital or want to hear. but the metro has put them on notice, be prepared for extended shut downs, they may shut down subway lines for up to six months of maintenance, the system closed for 29 hours earlier this month for safety inspection. >>> the hit musical hamilton may be in trouble for posting a casting call looking for strictly non-white employees. the broadway union approved the language but in a second casting post it said all ethnicities can apply. >>> actress and comedian whoopi goldberg is taking on a new business venture selling cannibis, "the view" host is opening a new business called whoopi and maya, it will target women suffering from extreme menstrual cramps. >>> still ahead on "action news" another check of the accuweather forecast, stepping outside. sky 6 hd showing you the p

. >>> a new report from the cdc looks at the number of people who go to the hospital to get treatment and end up becoming sick with antibiotic resistant bacteria while in the hospital. the cdc says that on any given at least one healthcare associated infection that they did not have prior to their hospital administration. many of those infections are caused by superbugs, hard to treat bacteria resistant to antibiotics. overall the cdc reports hospitals are doing a better job preventing many of these infections. >>> when you have to go, you have to go. when people have nowhere to go, their problem becomes the city's problem. 9news reporter chris nick mcgill explains. >> reporter: here the call of nature had become too loud to avoid. >> i think we've all had dilemmas like that and we know how serious they can be. >> reporter: for business owners like ron vaughn -- >> it's certainly something we should try. >> reporter: -- signs like these are causing a serious problem. >> we've all been in the position of going oh, i need to go to the bathroom. >> reporter: today the city unveiled a bra

, cdc says start low, and go slow.do you think doctors are likely to follow the recommendation that the cdc has put four? what steps can we afford to get the medical community more engaged in the problem? >> yes indeed the cdc guidelines are a step forward and helping improve the prescription practices as it relates to the use of opioid medications particularly for the management of chronic pain. the guidelines for excluding patients like hospice care pain. the guidance put a frame of reference that is based on part of the core knowledge and also experience not sufficient evidence on how to properly use opiate and as a result of that and added with the fact that there is an increase in that current practices cannot continue the way they are doing right now, it's unacceptable. that education on the healthcare system and the public along with guidelines like cbc will facilitate the changing of practices and how we prescribe these medications for the management of chronic pain. while at the same time i think the other asp

the official cdc tally at this point, at least 107 cases in 24 states, of course, they're hampshire. >>> next, to troubling cell phone video from inside a baltimore high school. officer slapping and then kicking a young man. another officer standing behind them. school officials confirming the event, but it's not clear tonight whether the young man was a student. both officers and the head of the school system police force

this year the cdc issuing a warning they've seen a spike in 37 states including here in new york and new jersey. >> this year with the weather, it's been up and down. >> the cdc has issued a warning saying the flu is widespread across dozens of states as the number of americans has steadily a science expert at lennox hill hospital seeing more patients than he expected to by this time of year. >> we're here in march, and people are still coming down with the flu and showing up at the hospital, and they're sick. >> according to the cdc, americans stayed healthy during the typical flu season which runs december through february, but ramping up now for the worst march they've seen in four years. >> definitely lasting a little longer. i've noticed people have gotten sick later in the season. >> to add another headache to the mix, allergy season appears to be starting early this year, a perfect storm for the sigh noneses. we caught robin sneezing. >> i think it's allergies. >> to you usually get allergy allergyies? >> yes. >> is this early? >> i think it's early this year. >> check your te

the cdc posted a map showing they may have spread from the southern part of the u.s. to the midwest and northeast. take a close look, it includes all of delaware and new jersey and most of the pennsylvania viewing area. but the cdc says this does not mean the mosquitos will cause spread of the disease here. zika is suspected of causing birth defects in babies. >>> it was no walk in the park today for the women. instead it was the beginning of training season for a very important milestone. local residents taking part in the upcoming susan g. komen three-day walk laced up today and starting to practice today. they have to walk 60 miles in 3 days. >> yeah. we are going to be talking three days. friday, saturday and sunday. and it's roughly 20 miles per day so you have to train for that. >> 26th annual philadelphia race for the cure beginning on may 8th, mother's day. >>> well, we are not going to be as cold tonight as we were last night and early this morning. so at least that will be a nice start to the day tomorrow. and then by the afternoon, 70 degrees temperatures b

a week ago, the cdc announced new guidelines for prescribing for doctors. why did the cdc do that? >> like you said, the cdc sees that as an epidemic in the health care system that often does start with doctors prescribing a patient a prescription. 15 years, since 1999, the cdc says sales of prescription opioid medications have quadrupled. corresponding with that is a quadruple in the number of overdose deaths. the cdc guidelines are trying to change how doctors think about prescribing opioids, encouraging them to prescribe much shorter durations of treatment. lower doses of the medications. and also in many cases, encouraging them to think about not starting a patient on opioid, if that's not necessary. other kinds of perception medications, even trying modification first to deal with pain. host: executive action from the president yesterday, the cdc making initial guidelines on overprescribing. what about on capitol hill? as the senate left, they just pass the bill dealing with opioid addiction. what would that do? sarah: that bill would direct some money the federal government a

for short term acute pain, the cdc recommends only giving enough for three days. the cdc says 40 people die every day from prescription drug overdose. >> i think we are seeing a lot of people dying, taking opioids. if you look at the number of deaths, the increased last year and again this year. jim: the guidelines do not apply to active cancer patients or those receiving end of life care. kids stepping off of school buses are stepping into dangerous situations. meredith: the bus stops, but cars driving right next to them don' t. what one man is doing to remind drivers that this is breaking the law. jim: and a man who carjacks a woman this morning takes more than just her car. woman and her not so little buddy. tony: near record. a few folks around 90 degrees. that will be the course for the next few days. will it weather on the way. i will time and out straight ahead. reporter: in the wesh 2 traffic center, talking about i-4 ultimate, see more construction on the i-4 westbound from seminole into orange. this could affect you between state report 36 in altamonte t

to cover the historic visit. >>> just as president obama is set for that historic trip to cuba the cdc issue ising a travel warping concerning the zika virus. you could catch the virus by traveling to the country. it is now one of several cups in the caribbean and latin america with zika travel warnings. president obama says the virus so far has not been a travel in his travel plans and it likely won't be in the future. when air force one lands in cuba sunday it will be the first time a sitting u.s. president has entered the country in nearly nine years. >>> coming up after days of enjoying sunshine and warmth, it felt good, the rain returns, with much cooler air. meteorologist aimee wilmoth the wet weather and the wend furnitu thy uscostdr xi-cleitle wsur thngen's tsgo oute.> welcback. teorolmeoth in tr centerowondal le mineast. eatyketo as pess e eveninhos bught w thhowe are do toso cumblaco, so rad, theinthst evpofe ers he yoonowerstd thro diffen mpures it 63but ch the noh. oro,56 le ar to isyeda chr to th eecoldinrooro 15 erraleigit'serreto ts time st enor ny stains apth iamskdarke

with respect to the dosage, cdc says start low and go slow. do you think doctors are likely to follow the recommendations that the cdc has put forward? what steps can take to get medical committee more engaged in the problem? >> yeah, and, indeed, the cdc can't let her actually a step forward in helping to improve the prescription practices as it relates to the use of medications dramatically for the management of chronic pain. and get that cdc guidelines were excluding patients that leads to cancer pain or hospice care pain. the guidance put out a frame of reference that is based on the current dollars but also experience in there is no sufficient scientific evidence on how to properly use opioids. and as a result about and added with the fact that there is an increased awareness, that kurt prescription practices of opioids cannot confuse the way they are doing right now. is unacceptable. that education o on the health care system and also on the public, along with guidelines like the one of cdc, will facilitate the changing of practices of h

the cdc on the scene, investigating the trail of a mysterious and deadly bacteria. here's alex perez in wisconsin. >> reporter: tonight, a medical mystery. cdc detectives hunting for the outbreak of a rare blood the outbreak of elizabethkingia. states usually report 5 to 10 cases a year. since november, 44 cases. 18 people have died. >> if they are related, we have to look for a common source. what is it that's common to the 44 people that they got infected with elizabethkingia? >> reporter: the victims, mostly 65 or older. many, sick with other illnesses. symptoms include fever, shortness of breath, and skin infections. the bacteria can survive in sync sinks and water. most concerning for officials, the victims are scattered across 11 counties. which makes pinpointing a cause, even tougher. and the illness is treatable, but doctors say it's resistant to many antibiotics. so early detection is critical. >> alex, thank you. >>> and the jury is about to get the case in the erin andrews case. here's eva pilgrim. >> reporter: closing arguments today in the erin andrews

there also was a cdc, hhs. in my city, 2001, baltimore, the mayor for the first time got all of the ceo's of the hospital together in one room. that funding has been cut in half since 2010. that makes a big difference. >> the panels report mentions that the disease preparedness funding is the most efficient and costly manner to fund preparedness. what are the alternatives to disease specific programs especially since many states have frayed their public health infrastructure. how can we respond better and give the hospitals and our local communities the tools we need? >> we have specific recommendations of this area including a steady stream of funding. we recommend it be done through the creditation system. every hospital cannot be prepared for every complex disease. both the regional coordination but more importantly identifying those hospitals that can have special rooms set aside. in florida, for example, all of us looked at particularly at the great public hospital in miami whether we could build separate

but beak, first, we're going to have the cdc. dr. baldwin is going to set this up so people have that baseline information. >> great, thank you very much. i want to thank chairman upton and representatives murphy and degette and other members of this complete for your commitment to address concussions as a press diagnose public health issue often referred to as i sue silent epidem epidemic. i'd like to thank the task force especially the coshares who have been chams of prevention for many years. my job is to help set the stage to provide an overview. traumatic brain injuries including sharing the latest data on the burden to americans. in the press release announcing this roundtable, the chairman noted there's a lot we don't know the about led trauma pla. how it affects different subsets of the population, the short and long-term effects and other critical details. she's right. that's why i want to highlight the proposed national concussion surveillance efforts system and our efforts to help fill these data gaps. in our minds, it's o

doctor john ward directs the cdc's viral hepatitis division.e says it's not entirely clear why native americans are more likely to die from hep c. >> some of it could be under- recognition which is a problem throughout the country. they also have other co-factors that when brought together with hepatitis c accelerate the progression of their liver disease, and those other conditions include alcohol use and obesity. >> reporter: the cdc recommends hep c screenings for all baby boomers -- everyone born between 1945 and 1965-- now aged 50 to 70. but doctor mera discovered half of his hepatitis c patients are younger than 50. so now, under the tribe's hep c elimination program, anyone over age 20 who comes through the cherokee health system, for any reason, is screened for hep c, regardless of other risk factors. >> we're doing age targeted screening. we're not doing screening based on risk factors, first because we know it doesn't work well. many providers will not ask risk factors with patients. they don't have the time to do it or it is a sensit