Approximately 150,000 New Yorkers are infected with Hepatitis C and about half do not know they’re infected. The disease can cause serious liver damage, and the Bronx has the highest liver cancer and mortality of any NYC borough.
Amida Care and the National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS came together in the Bronx this week for National African-American Hepatitis C Action Day to encourage Bronx residents to get screened for Hepatitis C at the Mall at Bay Plaza.
Throughout the day, representatives from NBLCA provided free Hepatitis C screenings, and health care providers were on-site with information and resources for the public about liver health.
In the U.S., Hepatitis C is twice as prevalent among African-Americans as among whites. There is a cure and health experts say that those at risk for Hepatitis C are screened so they can begin treatment immediately.
Go to hepchope.com for more information