The World Health Organizations goal is to eliminate hepatitis C by 2030, and one of the ways they are trying to achieve that is by bringing awareness through an annual World Hepatitis Day, which is Sunday. Viral hepatitis kills more than 1.3-million people each year, which is more than HIV/AIDS or Malaria, and yet there is a cure for hepatitis C, and a vaccine and effective treatment for hepatitis B.
The federal government has said in the past that the Hepatitis C virus (HCV) has become a major public health issue in this country, and especially among Saskatchewan First Nations communities. Testing is the best way to identify, treat and eliminate the disease because it’s estimated about 44 per cent of Canadians with hepatitis C are unaware they have it.
This past Friday, AIDS Saskatoon and the Saskatchewan Infectious Disease Care Network held a free screening event to bring more awareness of the disease.