Welcome to Skagit County

May 8th, 2008

Health Department Joins Global Campaign for Hepatitis Awareness

Members of Skagit County Public Health Department are asking Skagitonians, “Am I Number 12?” as part of a global campaign to increase awareness of the shocking statistic that one in 12 people on the planet are living with Hepatitis B or C. The majority of those infected are unaware. Many people can live unaffected by the virus for years. In others, the virus can increase the chance of liver damage and liver failure, and possibly even liver cancer. In 2007, over 100 cases of chronic (infected for life) hepatitis were reported in Skagit County.

In Skagit County, the “Am I Number 12?” campaign educates people about Hepatitis A, B and C and how to prevent infection with Hepatitis A and B vaccination. Free Hepatitis C testing will be offered on World Hepatitis Day, Monday, May 19, from 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. at the Health Department’s Immunization Clinic. The Hepatitis C tests are free and the vaccinations will be available on a sliding scale based on income and insurance. The Health Department encourages testing for anyone who has had a blood transfusion before 1992, injected street drugs, been incarcerated, had sex or lived with someone infected with Hepatitis B or C, or been a healthcare worker exposed to infected blood. Those under 18 will need parental permission. The testing and vaccinations are made possible by a recent grant from the WA State Department of Health.

Awareness about hepatitis remains low world-wide. One in three people has been exposed to one or both of the viruses.

“Infection with the hepatitis virus can be very silent,” says Sandi Paciotti, Communicable Disease Nurse Manager. “Many people show no symptoms, although they can still be infected and spread the virus to others. If you think you may have been exposed, you should be tested.”

Hepatitis B and C are spread primarily through contact with the blood of an infected person and sometimes through sex. Hepatitis B can be prevented by a vaccine, but there is no vaccine for Hepatitis C. Currently doctors are able to reduce the amount of virus in those chronically infected but there is no cure. Vaccination against Hepatitis A and B is recommended in people with Hepatitis C because getting more than one kind of hepatitis virus can further stress the liver and even cause death.

No appointment for the testing and vaccination on May 19, World Hepatitis Day is necessary. Skagit County Public Health Department Immunization Clinic is located at 700 South Second Street in downtown Mount Vernon on the third floor.

For more information about World Hepatitis Day, please call (360) 419-7609 or visit www.aminumber12.org.