Resources for 'World Hepatitis Day' Part 2

Want to sit at home and contribute to this eloquent day of Hepatitis?

As we already get to know how to better our health and stay healthy, away from a disease like Hepatitis in Part 1 of this article.

Spread awareness, scroll down to know more about what people having hepatitis go through.

“The acknowledgement of a single possibility can change everything.The essence of warrior traits are demonstrated by : integrity with self, and honesty with others”

Digital kit: 

Get Social

1) Join the conversation on social media. Use the hashtags #WorldHepatitisDay, #HepAware, and #hepatitis to share information on viral hepatitis, local, national, and global events, and World Hepatitis Day.

2) Follow @HHS_ViralHep on Twitter to learn about the Viral Hepatitis Action Plan, federal hepatitis actions and resources.

3) Follow @cdchep on Twitter to receive information from CDC about hepatitis resources, tools, publications, campaign updates, and events.

4) CDC has multiple viral hepatitis posters available for ordering at no cost. Some posters are available in Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese.

Watch and Share Videos

1. Learn more about viral hepatitis in these videos from federal partners.

2. Join in Supporting the National Viral Hepatitis Action Plan

3. Learn about our National Viral Hepatitis Action Plan to harness available tools and focus the U.S. response to viral hepatitis. 

The Action Plan features many opportunities for non federal stakeholders to take action in support of reaching its goals.

4. To help community efforts to build and strengthen viral hepatitis activities, we developed the Partner Planning Guide. The Guide can help organizations, coalitions, and others to assess local needs and strengths, existing activities, and plan new actions that align with the Action Plan.

Stigma around Hepatitis:

I had a conversation with Dr. Randhir Sudda who specializes in (Gastroenterology), M.B.B.S., M.D. (Gastroenterologist) Doctor for Hepatitis B Treatment in AIIMS, India who discussed the burden of stigma that people bear suffering from hepatitis. 

Randhir Sudda - "I was closely connected with a patient who unfortunately lost his life battling with hepatitis C,(a rare case) whose family was not that supportive. He was a brave child, but God's grace couldn't save him.

His own parents were afraid to sit near him. And his fiance left her in between his treatment. Viral hepatitis is not only a silent disease, but also a silencing event."

"People start looking at you from a different point of view in whatever you may do, as if you have committed a crime, I am not justifying the fear which people have in their mind but it's visibly legit that they don't want to get infected in any way. 

These intrinsic concepts of social stigma give birth to a sense of rejection, isolation, and frustration. 

Social stigma is a simple lack of knowledge among the patients and society. HCV hijacks the liver and hurts the entire body, but feeling shame about having it is its own misery.

The really heartbreaking stories are the emails I receive from people who experience discrimination because of their hepatitis status. Some have even been denied entrance to nursing and medical schools because of their hepatitis status.

Yes, from well-known schools, and yes, recently. Moreover, people’s hopes, dreams, and the quality of their lives are at stake.

It’s because we share the burden that we need to share the solution. Viral hepatitis is a community problem requiring a community response. 

Examine your own perceptions and hidden prejudices. Even though Zero Discrimination Day was on March 1, we still need to recognize the importance of stopping hepatitis discrimination."

Part 1 of this article.

Photo by Amy Shamblen on Unsplash.