Combating the Silent Epidemic of Viral Hepatitis
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is committed to ensuring that new cases of viral hepatitis are prevented and that persons who are already infected are tested; informed about their infection; and provided with counseling, care, and treatment. On May 12, 2011, HHS issued Combating the Silent Epidemic of Viral Hepatitis: Action Plan for the Prevention, Care & Treatment of Viral Hepatitis (PDF 672KB) which outlines robust and dynamic steps to increase viral hepatitis awareness and knowledge among health care providers and communities, and improve access to quality prevention, care, and treatment services for viral hepatitis. Some of these life-saving actions already are well underway. Other actions, representing innovations in practice, technology, and therapy, will require new strategic directions and commitment.
- Read more about the Action Plan at the website of the Assistant Secretary for Health.
- Download the Action Plan (PDF 672KB)
- Read and comment on recent blog posts about hepatitis and the Action Plan.
- Read about HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis at AIDS.gov’s Staying Healthy with HIV pages.
- Download a two-page Action Plan fact sheet (PDF 215KB) to share with others.
Action Plan Recommendations
- Educate health care providers and communities to reduce health disparities
- Improve testing, care, and treatment to prevent liver disease and cancer
- Strengthen surveillance to detect viral hepatitis transmission and disease
- Eliminate transmission of vaccine-preventable viral hepatitis
- Reduce viral hepatitis caused by drug-use behaviors
- Protect patients and workers from health-care associated viral hepatitis
Latest News
President Obama releases 2012 World Hepatitis Day proclamation.
CDC releases Know More Hepatitis campaign materials.
Assistant Secretary for Health Dr. Howard Koh featured on new poster urging Asian Americans to discuss testing for hepatitis B with their doctors (PDF 1.54MB).
Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin promotes hepatitis awareness in new poster (PDF 999KB).
View Status Report: Implementation of the Viral Hepatitis Action Plan (PDF 161KB), a brief presentation by Dr. Ronald Valdiserri, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health, Infectious Diseases.
Read the latest status report on the Viral Hepatitis Action Plan (PDF 652KB) implementation from our partner Agencies and Departments.
New Fact Sheet on HIV & Viral Hepatitis (PDF 742KB) from CDC, download and share.
Read and comment on recent blog posts about hepatitis and the Action Plan.
Learn More
Learn more about viral hepatitis from our federal partners:
Viral hepatitis is a silent epidemic in the United States. Although it is a leading infectious cause of death and claims the lives of 12,000–15,000 Americans each year, viral hepatitis remains virtually unknown to the general public, at-risk populations, and policymakers; even health care providers sometimes lack knowledge and awareness about these infections. As a consequence, most of the 3.5–5.3 million Americans living with viral hepatitis do not know that they are infected, placing them at greater risk for severe, even fatal, complications from the disease and increasing the likelihood that they will spread the virus to others.
World Hepatitis Day 2011
July 28, 2011 marked the first official observance of World Hepatitis Day. To mark this important health observance, the White House held a "World Hepatitis Day Briefing".
- Watch the briefing available in two parts on the White House YouTube channel (view the first segment and second part).
- In addition, the President issued a proclamation. Read the Presidential Proclamation for World Hepatitis Day 2011.
Excerpt from Presidential Proclamation on World Hepatitis Day 2011
My Administration has also released a comprehensive Action Plan for the Prevention, Care and Treatment of Viral Hepatitis. The plan brings together expertise and tools across government to coordinate our fight against this deadly disease. Our goal is to reduce the number of new infections, increase status awareness among people with hepatitis, and eliminate the transmission of hepatitis B from mothers to their children.
The first step toward achieving these goals is raising public awareness of this life-threatening disease. We must work to reduce the stigma surrounding hepatitis, and to ensure that testing, information, counseling, and treatment are available to all who need it. The hard work and dedication of health-care professionals, researchers, and advocates will help bring us closer to this goal…I encourage citizens, Government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and communities across the Nation to join in activities that will increase awareness about hepatitis and what we can do to prevent it.
--President Barack Obama
World Hepatitis Day Proclamation
July 28, 2011