Hepatitis Awareness Month 2023

Hepatitis Awareness Month is a month long campaign which aims to raise awareness about hepatitis.

National Hepatitis Awareness Month was first established by the Center of Disease Control and Prevention in 2001. Up to 5 million people in the US are affected by hepatitis.

Worldwide Hepatitis Awareness Day also falls within the month of May.

Hepatitis is a disease which causes inflammation of the liver.

There are 3 main types of hepatitis, A, B, and C. Their effects range from not usually serious(A) to serious (C). Rarer forms of hepatitis include hepatitis D, E and autoimmune hepatitis.

Understanding The Effects Of Hepatitis

In the United States, one in twenty people will have been exposed to hepatitis B. More likely than not, someone you know will have hepatitis B even though they may display no obvious symptoms.

"Being infected is like having a time bomb inside you. You don't know when it is going to go off or if it is going to go off."

Most people don't know they have it until they get sick. There is a lot of ignorance about hepatitis B and a lot of stigma associated with this disease. People with hepatitis B can get liver cancer and there is a strong link between them. The hepatitis virus repeatedly attacks the liver causing damage which can result in liver cancer.

Hepatitis B accounts for about 80% of liver cancer cases; more than half a million people die from liver cancer each year. Worldwide, hepatitis B is the third most common cause of death from cancer in males; across gender it is the seventh most common cause of death from cancer.

Supporting This Awareness Campaign

The Hepatitis B Foundation supports Hepatitis Awareness Month. This organization is dedicated to finding a cure by undertaking cutting edge research in their own laboratories. Their mission is to improve the quality of life in those affected by hepatitis B: through education, patient advocacy, & medical research.

Over the years, The Hepatitis B Foundation have run many activities which aim to raise awareness about this disease. Organized activities have included:

• Poster Contests
• Sponsored Walks
• Hepatitis B Presentation & Screening Programs
• Educational Courses
• Congressional Briefings About Hepatitis B
• Healthcare Fairs (which include Screening, Vaccination, Exams and Seminars)

The Hepatitis B Foundation have also held a successful, 'AIM For The B' campaign. The acronym AIM, expands to Awareness, Involvement, and Mobilization

For more information visit the Hepatitis B Foundation's dedicated awareness month webpage.