More organs are coming from 'increased-risk' donors

As the opioid crisis continues, a growing number of organs available for transplant are coming from what are known as increased-risk donors, like people who injected drugs or died of overdoses. A new analysis finds that 26 percent of organs in 2017 were from increased-risk donors, up from about 9 percent in 2010. Organs from increased-risk donors were more likely to test positive for hepatitis B and C. But the study found that by 2017, nearly all donors were being screened to detect infections. The report's authors say that screening is critical to curb the risk of disease transmission during transplants and make sure recipients are being monitored for infection as needed.