Kansas City Star Features Special Report on Hepatitis C

In a two-part series on hepatitis C, titled "Hepatitis C: Silent Alarm," the Kansas City Star reports that "[d]espite warnings from two U.S. surgeons general, the federal government has failed to follow through almost every time it has announced massive campaigns to educate citizens about hepatitis C." According to the Star, at least four million people in the United States are infected with the hepatitis C virus, and at least 10,000 people will die of complications related to the disease this year. Although HCV is the most common bloodborne virus in the country, "the CDC keeps better figures about people crushed to death by hay bales" than about HCV, according to the Star. Without "alarm" from the government, many people who do not know they have HCV will not get tested for the virus and will unknowingly spread the disease to others, the Star reports (Dillon/McGraw, Kansas City Star, 11/9). The special report, which includes news articles, fact sheets and links to online resources and advocacy organizations, is available online.

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