The Hill News

There’s a silent killer loose in America.  It is viral hepatitis, and it contributes to the death of 15,000 Americans every year. Most people don’t even know they have it until years later when it’s too late for any treatment to work.

That is why we’re fighting back with new legislation being introducing today: the Viral Hepatitis Testing Act of 2011, the start of what we expect to be a historic national effort to fight â€" and ultimately eradicate â€" Hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV) in America.  The current approach is not working.  Typically, despite the pervasive nature of Hepatitis B and C, health providers do not screen Americans at high-risk for hepatitis.  Moreover, most people don’t recognize symptoms until later stages when they have developed cancer or liver disease.

It is not surprising, then, that viral hepatitis is more common than HIV/AIDs but remains unrecognized as a serious threat to public health. In addition, viral hep! atitis disproportionately impacts racial and ethnic populations. For example, HCV is twice as prevalent among African Americans as among Caucasians. Asian Americans comprise more than half of the known hepatitis B population in the United States and consequently maintain the highest rate of liver cancer among all ethnic groups.

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