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The month of May
is Hepatitis Awareness Month, and May 19th is Hepatitis Testing Day. This is an
opportunity for organizations to promote and help raise awareness about the
seriousness of viral hepatitis.
More than 7,000 cases of viral hepatitis were
reported in Indiana in 2015, and the number of reported acute hepatitis C cases
has risen by 400 percent since 2010. Yet nearly three-fourths of people who
have the disease are unaware of their infection and are not receiving
treatment, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
To further raise awareness and promote testing
during May, please consider participating in & supporting the Be #HepAware Thunderclap on May 19th at 12:00 p.m. EDT/9:00 a.m.
PDT. Visit the CDC website for further details and resources.
https://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/heppromoresources.htm
As part of Hepatitis Awareness Month, State
Health Commissioner Jerome Adams has taped a brief public service announcement
to help bring attention to the rising toll this disease is taking on Indiana.
You can find the PSA at this link: https://youtu.be/WSLmz_selyA.
We encourage you to share Dr. Adams’ message
through social media channels and your websites as we all work to reduce the
burden that hepatitis places on Hoosiers. For any questions, concerns, or
comments please contact Deborah Nichols, STD and Viral Epidemiology Supervisor,
at 317-234-9627 or denichols@isdh.in.gov or Sherika
Sides, at 317-234-9708 or SSides@isdh.IN.gov.
The Indiana
Hepatitis C Epidemiologic profile for 2015 was released on May 1st, 2017 as a
Kickoff for Viral Hepatitis Awareness Month taking place through the month of
May. This profile was created as a response to the growing amount of Hepatitis
C Virus (HCV) cases and the need to use and disseminate the data for public
health efforts around the state. Topics of interest in the profile include
general sociodemographic characteristics, the state of HCV in Indiana
(including the Scott County HIV/HCV Outbreak), mortality, hospitalizations,
special projects currently taking place in Indiana, and special populations
including baby boomers, 18-29 year olds, and incarcerated individuals. Link to
the profile: http://www.in.gov/isdh/files/2015%20Hepatitis%20Epidemiologic%20Profile%20FINAL.pdf
Local health
officials and residents can now assess the health of their counties through
Stats Explorer, a new web-based one-stop shop for public health data in
Indiana.
Visitors to the Stats Explorer website can
find information about the prevalence of drug overdoses, sexually transmitted
diseases, births and deaths, cancer, infectious diseases and many other health
issues, all in one convenient location. Previously, the data were available
through multiple pages on the ISDH website.
Diseases and conditions provided in Stats
Explorer can be viewed as counts or rates for various time periods. Data can be
displayed in a variety of formats, including charts and maps, with the click of
a button.
To use Stats Explorer, go to https://gis.in.gov/apps/isdh/statsexplorer. From the
drop-down menu, select one of many different public health categories to find
detailed data published by ISDH and other partners.
On May 11, 2017,
the CDC released new preliminary viral hepatitis surveillance data showing
that from 2010-2015 the number of new hepatitis C infections reported to CDC
nearly tripled, reaching a 15-year high.
The greatest increase occurred among young
people, ages 20-29, with the primary route of transmission being injection drug
use. The majority of the 3.5 million Americans already living with hepatitis C
are baby boomers, who are six times more likely to be infected with hepatitis C
than those in other age groups and are at much greater risk for death from the
virus.
Hepatitis C kills more Americans than any
other infectious disease reported to CDC. The 2015 data indicates that nearly
20,000 Americans died from hepatitis C related causes, the majority aged 55 and
older.
Resources:
Press Release: New Hepatitis C
Infections Nearly Tripled over Five Years
Full Report: Surveillance for
Viral Hepatitis – United States, 2015
MMWR: State HCV
Incidence and Policies Related to Preventive Services, and HCV Treatment
Services for Persons Who Inject Drugs
Media Summary: State HCV
Incidence and Policies Related to Preventive Services, and HCV Treatment
Services for Persons Who Inject Drugs
In April, The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved supplemental
applications for Sovaldi (sofosbuvir) and Harvoni (ledipasvir and sofosbuvir)
to treat hepatitis C virus (HCV) in children ages 12 to 17. Harvoni and Sovaldi
were previously approved to treat HCV in adults.
These are
the first direct-acting antiviral treatments approved for children and
adolescents with HCV. Direct-acting antiviral drugs reduce the amount of HCV in
the body by preventing the virus from multiplying, and in most cases, they cure
HCV.
Click here to read more.
HepVu
HepVu is an interactive online resource that
offers a first-of-its-kind picture of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) epidemic
across the country. HepVu will present the first standardized U.S.
state-level estimates of Hepatitis C prevalence generated by Emory University’s
Coalition for Applied Modeling for Prevention (CAMP) through a project
supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Check out the
website by clicking here.
HepCure Toolkit
The HepCure Toolkit is a free online support
resource for hepatitis C providers and patients. The toolkit is comprised of
three different components: a weekly tele-education webinar series, provider
dashboard, and a patient app.
The Tele-Education Webinar Series is held
every Tuesday from 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM EST and features many topics in hepatitis
C. Continuing education credits (CME/CNE) are offered through
attendance of the webinars. All of the webinars are archived for playback or
download on HepCure's Tumblr page.
For further details, click here.
HCV Advocate website
Hcvadvocate.org is a website supported by the
Hepatitis C Support Project and includes many free resources for
anyone to utilize. The website has links to fact sheets and news articles
and educational materials. Check out the website by clicking here.
Immunization Action Coalition (IAC)
The IAC has many free handouts and facts
sheets about hepatitis and many are available in multiple languages.
Check out their website at http://www.immunize.org/.
A few handouts that are available…
o Hepatitis B Facts: Testing
and Vaccination http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p2110.pdf
o If you, your parents, or
your children were born in any of these places…http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4170.pdf
o Hepatitis B information for Asian Americans and
Pacific Islanders http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4190.pdf
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