Local and national leaders are kicking off a campaign to help raise awareness about the impact of Hepatitis C in the African American community.
"Today, we are here to launch this campaign to educate our community, to educate our legislative officials to try to implement funding and programs to help fight Hepatitis C in the African American community," says Leatrice Wactor, the Regional Director of National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS.
Wactor says African Americans have a substantially higher rate of chronic Hepatitis C infection than Caucasians and other racial and ethnic groups.
Hepatitis C, often called the “silent epidemic”, is a chronic virus that causes liver disease and related cancer.
The viral infection, which is curable, affects approximately 400 people in Monroe County.
County Health Director Dr. Byron Kennedy says that number is higher than the amount of Hepatitis B and HIV cases here locally. He says there are between 70 to 100 new cases of HIV each year.
"So that alone shows you how large the impact is right now,” says Dr. Kennedy. “And yet we know that there are perhaps many who have Hepatitis C and don't know they have it. One of the reasons for them to get tested is so they can know their status, and those who end up testing positive be linked to care early."
Dr. Kennedy says part of the focus for today's "call to action" is creating the opportunity for increased screenings among Baby Boomers, who are most vulnerable. They are five times more likely to have been infected, and most don’t know they are infected.
Others who are most at risk for Hepatitis C include people who have experienced injected drug use, had blood transfusion before 1992 or have a sexually transmitted disease.
Although symptoms of Hepatitis C are not allows present, Dr. Kennedy says there are a few: fever, nausea, and yellowing of the skin and eye whites.