CDC reminds providers, public Hepatitis Testing Day is May 19

May 19 is the fourth annual National Hepatitis Testing Day and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention want to remind health care providers and the public who should be tested for viral hepatitis, according to the CDC website.

The CDC is encouraging people at risk to be tested and for health care providers to educate patients about chronic viral hepatitis and testing, since millions of Americans have chronic hepatitis and most are unaware.

According to the CDC website, the most common types of viral hepatitis are hepatitis A, B and C. Viral hepatitis is the leading cause of liver cancer and the most common reason for liver transplantation. An estimated 4.4 million Americans are living with chronic hepatitis.

The CDC website states the most at-risk populations include men who have sex with men, African Americans and injection drug users, among others.

Research indicates another common population for developing HCV: baby boomers. In a study published in Clinical Infectious Disease, James Galbraith, MD, associate professor of emergency medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and colleagues found that baby boomers are the most increased population using services for HCV.

“Individuals with HCV are large users of outpatient, emergency department and inpatient services with increased and rising utilization by persons born between 1945 and 1965,” Galbraith said. “This not only presents a large economic burden on the health system, but more importantly highlights opportunities to identify these individuals and refer them to potentially curative treatment.”

The CDC previously recommended that all baby boomers undergo a one-time testing for HCV. Research covered in HCV Next indicated that, following the CDC’s recommendation in June 2013, the United States Preventive Services Task Force recommended screening for adults at high risk for hepatitis C virus infection and one-time screening for all Americans born between 1945 and 1965 because that birth cohort is at greater risk for infection compared with other age groups.

Organizations and communities across the U.S. are hosting free hepatitis testing, according to media reports.

In Colorado, Hep C Connection and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, in partnership with other non-profits and public health organizations, will host free testing for anyone concerned they may have HCV.

In New York, the Putnam County Department of Health is offering a full day of free hepatitis C testing for all New York state baby boomers at the Putnam County Health Department, according to the health department website.

In Chicago, the Lake County Health Department and Community Health Center is hosting a free hepatitis health fair in conjunction with AbbVie, Orasure Technologies, Walgreens, Salix Pharmaceuticals, American Liver Foundation Great Lakes Division, the YWCA Lake County, GlenLake Nursing and Rehabilitation Center and the Lake County Stands Against Stigma Coalition. – by Melinda Stevens

For more information:

To find hepatitis screening events/testing sites on May 19 in your area, visit the CDC sponsored Hepatitis Testing page here.