Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Canadian Liver Foundation
Canadians with hepatitis B and C demand action to tackle life threatening disease
Alliance calls recent government funding announcements ”woefully inadequate”
May 20, 2008: Canadians with hepatitis B and C, their families and healthcare professionals are demanding the Canadian government recognize these two liver diseases as life threatening and demonstrate their commitment to prevention, treatment, support and research with funding proportionate to the impact and burden of this health issue.
Up to 600,000 Canadians and almost half a billion people world wide are living with chronic hepatitis B and C, leading to disability and death and causing a serious health burden on the country.
May 20 marks the first World Hepatitis Day in Canada. The Canadian World Hepatitis Alliance, a newly formed group of individuals, healthcare professionals and associations, are calling on the government of Canada to take a leadership role in creating a national strategy that by 2012 will address the issues contributing to the suffering and death of so many Canadians.
“Canadians are dying because of inaction and ignorance,” says Gary Fagan, President of the Canadian Liver Foundation and Chair of the Canadian World Hepatitis Alliance. “For a country that prides itself on a publicly-funded universal health care system, this is unacceptable. We appreciate that the government’s recent announcements provide some recognition of hepatitis C as a national health issue, however, this is only the tip of the iceberg. Hepatitis B has been completely ignored and the hepatitis C funding is woefully inadequate to address the full scope of the issue.”
The Canadian World Hepatitis Alliance, together with patient groups from around the world, has published 12 Government Asks aimed at combating hepatitis B and C. Six of the Government Asks are specific to issues in Canada. The six Canadian Government Asks demand the federal, provincial and territorial governments reduce the health and social impact of both hepatitis B and C on Canadians by adopting a fully-funded, coordinated national strategy that:
- Promotes prevention of both hepatitis B and C through expanded education, immunization and harm reduction programs all across Canada.
- Improves access to comprehensive care and treatment programs in all areas of the country
- Increases knowledge and innovation through interdisciplinary research and surveillance to reduce the burden of both hepatitis B and C on Canadians.
- Creates awareness about risk factors, stigma and the need for testing among the general population and at-risk groups.
- Builds capacity through training and recruitment of qualified health professionals.
- Supports communities and community-based groups in developing, delivering and evaluating peer-driven and focused initiatives.
“The Canadian government needs to understand that if not tackled today, both hepatitis B and C will be major burdens on the healthcare system in the next 20 years as today’s patients will suffer complications, develop liver cancer or require liver transplants,” says Dr. Morris Sherman, hepatologist at Toronto General Hospital. “We need all levels of government to act today on a national strategy that recognizes the unique nature of hepatitis B and C.”
Dr. Sherman adds, “liver cancer is most frequently a result of hepatitis B and C and its incidence is increasing more rapidly than almost any other cancer. Proper care can prevent or cure this cancer, but due to the lack of a national strategy the majority of patients who develop liver cancer will die from their disease.”
“Hepatitis B and C are silent diseases that do not receive the level of government attention they warrant,” says Andy Cumming who has lived with hepatitis C for more than 10 years and is the Honourary Chair of the Canadian World Hepatitis Alliance. “Hepatitis B and C can affect anyone so it’s critical that all Canadians understand the risk factors.”
Cumming is urging Canadians to ask their doctors about hepatitis, because “these diseases can show no symptoms for many years. Once a person is diagnosed with hepatitis B or C, it may too late to treat.”
Marking the first ever truly international World Hepatitis Day, the World Hepatitis Alliance has launched “The Hepatitis Atlas: Completing the Data Map” – a resource designed to become the first global public compendium of statistics and information relating to chronic viral hepatitis B and C. The Hepatitis Atlas has been launched as a result of the shocking lack of up-to-date global statistics relating to the two diseases.
About hepatitis B and C:
Hepatitis B and C represent one of the biggest threats to global health, affecting up to 600,000 Canadians and almost half a billion people worldwide.
Hepatitis B and C are viral infections that attack the liver and can lead to scarring of the liver (cirrhosis), cancer, the need for transplantation and even death. These are chronic, lifelong and life threatening diseases that can affect anyone from any walk of life.
The hepatitis B virus is spread through direct contact with infected blood as well as most major body fluids. The hepatitis C virus is spread through direct contact with infected blood. Many people do not have any symptoms if they contract hepatitis B or C, although they can still transmit the virus to others.
About the Canadian World Hepatitis Alliance:
The Canadian World Hepatitis Alliance represents the interests of the 600,000 Canadians living with chronic hepatitis B and C. The newly formed group is made up of individuals, healthcare professionals and associations, including the Canadian Liver Foundation, BC Centre for Disease Control, the Canadian Association for the Study of the Liver, the Canadian Association of Hepatology Nurses, the Canadian Hemophilia Society, the National Canadian Research Training Program in Hepatitis C, the Canadian Society for International Health, and the Hepatitis C Council of British Columbia.
Patients, physicians and members of the Canadian World Hepatitis Alliance are available for media interviews in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal and Halifax.
For more information on the Global World Hepatitis Day, visit
www.amInumber12.org or
www.worldhepatitisday.com.
For more information on World Hepatitis Day, the Canadian Government Asks, the Hepatitis Atlas or to book a spokesperson interview, please contact:
Sarah Rutka, for the Canadian World Hepatitis Alliance
Direct: 416-645-8191
Cell: 905-782-1247
Sarah.rutka@fleishman.ca
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