In recent years, hepatitis has gotten some very necessary attention. Still, more awareness is always good regarding this very serious yet highly treatable disease. 

Fortunately, we have outreach initiatives like World Hepatitis Day. Observed every July 28, the day does its noble part to unite people in combatting the global scourge of viral hepatitis, which each year claims more than one million lives. 

This year’s theme is “We’re Not Waiting”—which is highly appropriate, given the urgency of getting a handle on the disease as early as possible.

An inflammation of the liver, hepatitis comes in five main viruses—types A, B, C, D and E. 

Here at the Wright Center for Community Health, we’ve become local leaders in the fight against Hepatitis C, an especially pernicious form of the disease contracted through an infected person’s blood. More than four million people in the U.S. are infected with hepatitis C, and over half remain undiagnosed.

Hepatitis C can be contracted in several ways, including through sharing needles, from equipment used for preparing or injecting drugs, through sex, sharing personal items or via unregulated tattoos or piercings. Even a small percentage of infants are infected through their mothers.

Most people with the disease are saddled with a lifelong infection. Chronic Hepatitis C can cause severe health problems, including liver disease, liver failure, liver cancer and death. 

The key is catching it in time, which can be difficult since the disease tends to develop subtly at first with no easily identifiable symptoms.

Symptoms that materialize include jaundice, lack of appetite, vomiting, stomach pain, fever, dark urine, light-colored stool, joint pain and fatigue.

All adults ages 18 and older should be screened for the disease at least once via a simple and readily available blood test. Among those at increased risk who should be screened are baby boomers, blood transfusion recipients (from before 1992), people who have undergone long-term dialysis treatments, those who have used illicit drugs, people living with HIV, babies born to mothers diagnosed with Hep C and sexual partners of anyone diagnosed with the disease.

For people who test positive for Hep C, treatment comes through oral medications that help clear the virus from the bloodstream. About 90 percent of patients are cured after eight to 12 weeks of treatment, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Meanwhile, there are numerous healthy habits patients can adopt to mitigate the disease’s progression, including reducing alcohol intake, maintaining a healthy weight, being careful with over-the-counter medications and receiving regular medical care that includes monitoring for liver cancer.

Besides incorporating Hepatitis C testing, prevention, care and treatment into our patient-centered medical home-model approach, we also provide essential services like outreach, patient education, case management and care coordination to improve the health outcomes of patients with the disease significantly.

Even if you don’t think you have Hepatitis C, please make it a point to get tested sometime in the near future. Remember, this is a curable and easily treatable disease—the key is to be proactive and seek the right treatment plan. 

Whatever you do, don’t wait. 

Vikas Khurana M.D. is the program director of the Gastroenterology Fellowship Program at the Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education. He is dual board-certified in internal medicine and gastroenterology, specializing in diagnosing and treating conditions that affect the GI tract. Dr. Khurana is employed by Commonwealth Health Physician Network and is a member of the medical staff at Commonwealth Health Regional Hospital of Scranton. For more information, visit www.cwhphysiciannetwork.net.