Worldwide, more than 290 million people are estimated to be living with viral hepatitis and unaware. If we do not find these undiagnosed people and link them to care, millions will continue to suffer, and lives will be lost. In the United States, there are more than 4 million Americans from every state and all walks of life infected with hepatitis B (HBV) or hepatitis C (HCV). Only half of these people are aware of their infection, new infections and outbreaks are on the rise, a growing number of infants are at risk, there are significant health disparities, and hepatitis-related deaths are near record levels.
We hope your organization can help raise awareness to this deadly disease on World Hepatitis Day and beyond. Here are just a few ways you can join the fight:
- Promote these online tools for individuals to assess their risk through your communications channels.
- Download the World Hepatitis Alliance’s campaign materials. The Alliance has created posters, a toolkit, social media graphics, and more that can be used across your digital platforms and in-person events.
- Support the World Hepatitis Alliance’s “Find the Missing Millions” Thunderclap with your Facebook, Twitter, or Tumblr account.
Reaching our national viral hepatitis goals requires participation from a broad group of stakeholders, including your organization. For guidance on current and future viral hepatitis strategic planning efforts, download and use the Partner Planning Guide. As we work together to put the nation on a path to viral hepatitis elimination, we invite you to share activities that are helping move us toward our national viral hepatitis goals here. We thank you for your contributions.
Richard Wolitski, PhD, and Corinna Dan, RN, MPH
Office of HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Policy
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services