It's an infection that's growing at an alarming rate in Central New York. According to ACR Health, Hepatitis C cases have gone up 55-percent since 2012.

Health officials say with the rise of the opioid epidemic, injection drug use is a major risk factor.

"Specifically targeting the injection drug use community, we understand there's a lot of sharing of equipment and things when folks are engaging in that type of behavior,” said ACR Health Prevention Coordinator K. Daniel Reed.

According to the CDC, Hepatitis C cases across the country have tripled since 2010.

"State numbers and national numbers say that about one in 30 baby boomers are actually infected with Hepatitis C. What we're seeing locally, actually, is also a huge increase of young people ages 18 to 32, 36 years old, with a big increase of Hepatitis C infections,” said Upstate University Hospital Dr. Ross Sullivan.

ACR Health says testing is critical.

"It's extremely important specifically for Hepatitis C," Reed said. "You can have it, really, for like 10 years -- even sometimes longer, 20 years -- and not even know that you have it. All the while, it can be potentially doing damage to your body, and then when you do finally catch it, it may be too late."

"The good thing about Hepatitis C is there is a cure. So you can come to us, be tested and be cured, and get that out of your body,” said ACR Health Executive Director Wil Murtaugh.

"There are some medications out there that boast a 90 to 95 percent elimination rate, which kind of decreases the chance of it ever coming back," Sullivan said. "So it doesn't work for everybody if it only has a 90 to 95 percent chance of working, but that's a great number. It's much better than the other medicines that have been used in the past."

ACR Health also has a syringe exchange program for injection drug users.