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Home > About ALF > Media Center

The American Liver Foundation Educates State Legislatures During Hepatitis Awareness Month

Elected Officials Must be Alerted to the Potential Health Crisis: 5 Million Americans Have Hepatitis B or C

New York, May 1, 2007 –The American Liver Foundation (ALF), a national nonprofit organization that provides education, advocacy and research on behalf of the 30 million Americans affected by liver disease, launched Hepatitis Awareness Month by reaching out to state legislators around the country in order to educate them about the dangers of this deadly disease.

The 25 chapters of the American Liver Foundation reached out to key legislators in their respective state governments arming them with the latest facts and figures about the battle against hepatitis. It is hoped that this will encourage their representatives to draft legislation to support the millions of Americans who have been infected with chronic hepatitis B or C.

To emphasize the importance of liver health and raise greater awareness of liver disease, ALF is also unveiling a display window at 10 Rockefeller Center, donated by Executive Health Systems, promoting hepatitis prevention and liver wellness. The window, designed by students from the Fashion Institute of Technology, will be on display throughout the month of May, spreading awareness of liver disease to the millions of people who pass through Rockefeller Center.

“We are very happy to be doing so much to raise the public’s awareness of liver disease and especially hepatitis which affects more than five million Americans,” said John Corwin, interim CEO of the American Liver Foundation. “By focusing our Hepatitis Awareness Month activities on state legislatures this year, we are working with our chapters to ensure that crucial health information is in the hands of the people who decide on budgets and healthcare spending.”

Facts about hepatitis

  • There are five distinct types of hepatitis: A, B, C, D, and E. All cause inflammation of the liver

  • The hepatitis B virus is 100 times more infectious than HIV

  • It is estimated that there are 1.4 million Americans with chronic hepatitis B.

  • Hepatitis B and C can lead to liver cancer

  • There are vaccines for hepatitis A and B. There is no vaccine for hepatitis C

  • Hepatitis C is the most common blood-borne infection in the United States

  • Almost 4 million Americans, or 1.8 percent of the U.S. population, are or have been infected with hepatitis C.

  • Recent studies suggest that approximately 40 percent of the 2.2 million people in America’s prison system are infected with hepatitis C

Page updated: July 25th, 2007