 Hello everyone!
Did you know May is not only AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) Heritage Month, but also Hepatitis Awareness Month in the United States? In fact, May 19th is designated as Hepatitis Testing Day! As of 2023, the CDC recommends all adults get tested for both Hepatitis B and C at least once in their lifetime and during pregnancy, since testing is the only way to know if someone has either diseases, especially as the symptoms of hepatitis can be subtle until the disease have become severe. It is estimated that 66% of people with hepatitis B and 40% of people with hepatitis C do not know they have the disease. Currently there are curative treatments available for hepatitis C, and medications available to keep hepatitis B under control. For people who don't have hepatitis B but are not immunized, there are vaccines available for prevention. Since chronic hepatitis B or C are leading causes of liver cancer, disease prevention and control are very important! With that information, DFW HepBFree is proud to report that in the 2022-23 school year, we have conducted a total of 7 hepatitis B and monthly hepatitis C screenings in which we were able to screen over 300 people in the Dallas-Fort Worth area! As a medical school student organization, we also received a $2000 screening grant from APAMSA (Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association) and presented 3 research posters based on the data we have compiled. We are so thankful for all the medical students and faculty who have volunteered their time at our events and all the community members for coming out to get tested! We look forward to conducting more screenings and raising more awareness to Hepatitis B and C in the Dallas-Fort Worth community during the next school year! If you would like to work with us to offer a screening in your community, please email us (dfwhepbfree@gmail.com) or message us on Facebook! Sincerely, the DFW Hep B Free Officer Team Source: https://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/awareness/HepatitisAwarenessMonth.htm
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