California: West Coast Helps Launch National Hepatitis Testing Day

CDC recently joined elected officials and community leaders to mark the first-ever National Hepatitis Testing Day, which launched May 19 with nearly 100 testing and awareness events across the nation. San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee and Dr. John Ward, director of CDC's Division of Viral Hepatitis, attended the Asian Heritage Street Celebration where the city Hep B Free campaign and Hepatitis C Task Force conducted free hepatitis B and C testing.

"Tragically, because three in four people living with hepatitis B or C do not know they are infected, they do not receive antiviral therapies that can stop the progression of their disease and protect their liver from further harm," said Ward.

"Chronic hepatitis B and C have had a significant impact on San Francisco, and yet receive relatively little attention," said Lee. "We need to educate the community and promote testing, vaccinations, and treatment."

On May 18, Hep B Free Los Angeles and the Hep C Task Force for Los Angeles joined in a major outreach event to spread awareness about the diseases. Representatives from more than 35 media organizations, including Asian and mainstream outlets, attended the event.

"Viral hepatitis is a serious public health problem in all of California, including Los Angeles," said Dr. Heidi Bauer, the city's STD control chief, who thanked the county and the two community partner groups for their work on raising awareness.

For more information about National Hepatitis Testing Day, visit: www.cdc.gov/Hepatitis/TestingDay/.

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