Health officials in New Jersey are putting more focus on treatment and testing for hepatitis C virus (HCV), after reports showed that both acute and chronic infections of the viral liver disease are on the rise across the state, NorthJersey.com reports.

According to New Jersey’s latest Reportable Communicable Disease Report, the stats for chronic hep C cases in the region have risen dramatically over the last decade, increasing from 3,361 in 2004 to 7,765 cases by 2014.

State officials said the recent uptick in chronic HCV cases is likely happening because more baby boomers (folks born between 1945 and 1965) are getting tested for the virus in New Jersey. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that up to 75 percent of U.S. adults with chronic HCV are within this age group, and that most baby boomers still don’t know their hep C status.

Local nurses also said that they have seen a gradual increase in acute hep C cases over the past few years, likely due to an uptick in injection drug use—however, due to various reporting restrictions, many of those acute cases remain unreported.

Health workers noted that thanks to a big national testing push for HCV, there has been more reporting of both chronic and acute cases by hospitals and labs across the country. Whether hep C cases are actually on the rise in New Jersey or just being reported more often is still unclear, said state health officials. However, the state is amping up its response to the epidemic.