Hepatitis Awareness Month may have come to a close, but there are many opportunities to bring awareness about viral hepatitis. With more than 4 million Americans infected with viral hepatitis, and the number of new infections growing, we are still losing ground in the battle against viral hepatitis. The opioid epidemic in particular is fueling increases in hepatitis C with new hepatitis C infections more than tripling between 2010 and 2016, increases in hepatitis B cases in nine states from 2015-2016, and outbreaks of hepatitis A that have sickened more than 2,500 starting in January 2017 and affecting mostly people who inject drugs and those who are homeless. Despite these setbacks, scientific advances and improvements in health care make it possible to win the fight against viral hepatitis and save lives. So how will you join the fight?
There is a role for everyone in the fight against viral hepatitis, and every effort is important. The first step is to understand what the epidemics look like in your community. The second step is to identify what resources and services your organization and your partner organizations provide that can contribute to improving viral hepatitis prevention, diagnoses, and care. Learning from other partners’ experiences and sharing your own is also an important part of this work.
Read a couple of our latest blog posts about this epidemic including ways to get involved:
There is a role for everyone in the fight against viral hepatitis, and every effort is important. The first step is to understand what the epidemics look like in your community. The second step is to identify what resources and services your organization and your partner organizations provide that can contribute to improving viral hepatitis prevention, diagnoses, and care. Learning from other partners’ experiences and sharing your own is also an important part of this work.
Read a couple of our latest blog posts about this epidemic including ways to get involved:
- What is the problem and why are we losing ground? Discussing how we frame the growing problem of viral hepatitis in the U.S. and why we are losing ground in the fight to combat it.
- What are the opportunities for winning the fight? Describing advances and opportunities to combat the hepatitis B and hepatitis C epidemics in the United States.
We hope you can join us on Thursday, June 14 at 2 p.m. for an exciting Twitter #HepChat. Join the Hepatitis B Foundation, NASTAD and CDC’s Viral Hepatitis Program as we share Hepatitis Awareness Month outreach events and experiences. This will be a great opportunity to share your successes, challenges and lessons learned from your efforts. Visit the Hepatitis B Foundation’s website for more information.
Richard Wolitski, PhD, and Corinna Dan, RN, MPH
Office of HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Policy
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
This announcement is for a third-party program that The Forum for Collaborative Research does not control or provide support for. Please contact the organizers directly with any questions.