Congressional
Briefing Planned to Raise Awareness about Chronic Hepatitis
B
The “AIM for the B” Congressional Briefing on July 21 is designed
to gather Congressional leaders, national health agencies,
community health organizations, physicians and patients
for a discussion on chronic
hepatitis B, a life-threatening disease that
affects more than 1.25 million Americans.
To build upon the enactment of Senate Resolution 117 declaring
May 9-16 as National Hepatitis Awareness Week, Senator Rick
Santorum is sponsoring this enriched briefing to further
educate policy makers and stimulate dialogue about the dangers
of chronic hepatitis B.
Attendees will share their personal experiences with the disease,
and discuss the need to prioritize chronic hepatitis B as
a major health issue in the United States. Additional resources
are needed to track patients living with the disease, update
current treatment guidelines and help raise overall awareness
and education for chronic hepatitis B.
“AIM for the B: Awareness, Involvement and Mobilization for
Chronic Hepatitis B,” is an ongoing nationwide education
program designed to elevate the urgency for prioritizing
chronic hepatitis B as a serious health issue in the United
States.
Who:
The “AIM for the B” Congressional briefing
will include the following speakers: Timothy Block, Ph. D., president and co-founder of the Hepatitis
B Foundation, Mack Mitchell, M.D., director of gastroenterology, Johns Hopkins
University, Bayview
Medical Center, Arline Loh, chronic hepatitis B patient,
John Ward, director, Division of Viral Hepatitis,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Jay Hoofnagle,
M.D.,
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Thursday, July 21, 2005, 12 noon
to 1:00 p.m.
U.S. Capitol, Room SC-4, Washington, D.C.
There is a tremendous lack of awareness
for chronic hepatitis B in this country. In the United
States, more than one million people have developed chronic
hepatitis B infection and more than 5,000 Americans die
from hepatitis B and hepatitis B-related liver complications
each year, including liver damage (cirrhosis)
and liver cancer. More
than half a million people worldwide die each year from
primary liver cancer, and up to 80 percent of primary
liver cancers are caused by chronic hepatitis B.
While only three percent of the U.S. population has been diagnosed
with chronic hepatitis B infection, Asian and Pacific
Islander Americans (API) make up more than half of the
people chronically infected with the disease in the United
States. Depending on the country of origin, between five
and 15 percent of API immigrants are chronically infected
with hepatitis B.
07/20/05
Source
Hepatitis B Foundation
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