World Hepatitis Day | VIA Times – July 2014 Issue
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World Hepatitis Day

This Monday, July 28, 2014 marks World Hepatitis Day. 400 MILLION people around the globe are living with viral Hepatitis. Hepatitis is a liver disease usually spread through contact with an infected person’s blood. It can lead to severe liver damage, cancer, and even death. 
 
Hepatitis C is the most chronic form of the the disease and is the leading cause of cirrhosis and liver cancer. Every year it kills about 15,000 of the more than 4 MILLION people who have it in the United States alone. Liver disease is a growing public health challenge. With the introduction of a new treatment, Hepatitis C has been making headlines and stands to be propelled to the center of the nation’s ongoing healthcare debate. The latest treatment shows a promising 90% cure rate, but its controversial price tag makes it one of the most expensive prescription drug treatments in our nation’s history. World Hepatitis Day is the perfect opportunity to pay careful attention to this debate, along with new treatments ahead that could have an impact on lowering costs. Individually doctors, and state health programs are working on ways to make treatment more affordable. Some action is also taking place on a federal level in Congress, questioning treatment cost and access. 
And just before World Hepatitis Day on Sunday, July 27, 2014 there will be breaking medical news out of the Lancet EMBARGOED for 6:30 PM New York time. It shows how new oral drug combinations are curing more of the hardest-to-treat Hepatitis C Patients. The American Liver Foundation can provide top doctors and patients for online, print, and television needs in your area for stories related to the latest issues and findings about this critical disease. We can also highlight what is being done to raise global awareness about the dangerous impact of Hepatitis. 

 

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