Day of Observance Brings Awareness of Hepatitis

Today is World Hepatitis Day, but there won't be any ticker tape parades to attend or fireworks to admire. Hallmark doesn't have any cards to specifically commemorate the occasion. No, World Hepatitis Day isn't like Thanksgiving or even Labor Day. It is intended, instead, to bring public awareness of the disease, the available immunizations against the various types of the disease, and the available treatments.

2011 marks the first observance of World Hepatitis Day by the World Health Organization's governing body, the World Health Assembly. To understand the rationale for determining the need for such an observance, WHO reports that approximately 1 million deaths each year worldwide are directly attributed to hepatitis. Hepatitis A occurs in about 1.4 million people each year, hepatitis B infects 2 billion people and hepatitis C is estimated to chronically infect 130 million people.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advise that more than 500 million people around the world suffer from this viral infection and have less than adequate access to health care. Because two of the disease's forms, hepatitis B and hepatitis C can lead to both cirrhosis and cancer of the liver, these 500 million people may be destined for premature deaths.

The British medical journal, "The Lancet," published results of a global study of rates of hepatitis B and hepatitis C among IV drug users. As reported by USAToday.com, the researchers determined 60 percent to 80 percent of IV drug users are infected with hepatitis C in 25 countries around the world, including the United States, Canada, Germany, Thailand, Spain and China. At least 12 countries were identified with over 80 percent of IV drug users having the disease and three countries had rates lower than 60 percent.

Hepatitis B infection rates were lower than hepatitis C in the IV drug users, with rates of 5 percent to 10 percent noted in 21 countries and more than 10 percent in 10 countries, including the United States, Vietnam and Saudi Arabia.

Interestingly, musicians Gregg Allman and Natalie Cole are the voices for a campaign co-sponsored by the pharmaceutical company, Merck, and the American Liver Foundation. The campaign, titled "Tune In to Hep C" is intended to aid in the lessening of the social stigma of having hepatitis C, along with raising public awareness and raising money to help community-based support groups for people with the disease.

Many people, such as Natalie Cole, can live for years with the hepatitis C virus being present in their body with few or no symptoms. People of all ages, from teens to baby boomers to seniors, are encouraged to contact a health care provider for a diagnostic blood test if they've engaged in any IV drug use, had any non-sterile piercings or tattoos, received blood transfusions or an organ transplant prior to 1992, or been in contact with anyone's blood who might have the disease. Even though you are symptom-free, if you have hepatitis C, it can be silently destroying your liver.

Smack dab in the middle of the baby boomer generation, L.L. Woodard is a proud resident of "The Red Man" state. With what he hopes is an everyman's view of life's concerns both in his state and throughout the nation, Woodard presents facts and opinions based on common-sense solutions.