BY ALLISON KOZICHAROW AND BERNICE BORN
When recently asked about hepatitis, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) spokesperson Jonathan Mermin, M.D., said: “Why are so many Americans dying of this preventable, curable disease?” Dr. Mermin speculated that many deaths could be avoided with simple testing for and treatment of hepatitis. An excellent starting point is to learn about the disease from WiRED’s Hepatitis module.
CDC has designated May as Hepatitis Awareness Month and is leading a national campaign called Know More About Hepatitis.
Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver, which can be caused by viruses, medications or toxic agents. The liver enables the body to fight infection, removes chemicals or toxins from the system, digests food and stores energy. Chronic hepatitis can lead to liver cancer and liver failure.
Born from 1945-1965? Get Tested for Hepatitis C
There are five types of hepatitis: A, B, C, D and E. Although preventable, hepatitis C is the most serious kind and exhibits no symptoms. It can lead to cirrhosis, a scarring of the liver, and — unlike some of the other types — lacks a vaccine.
A recent MedlinePlus article cites Hepatitis C as the leading infectious disease killer in the U.S.
WiRED International offers a newly revised Hepatitis module, which describes all five types of hepatitis and their prevention, differences, causes, diagnoses and treatments.