|
Los Angeles County To Appoint
Hepatitis Coordinator
The
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has announced the
creation of a groundbreaking new position, the Hepatitis
Coordinator. This marks the first time such an appointment has been
made in the County, highlighting the severity of the Hepatitis C (HCV)
epidemic, which affects 180,000 people in the County.
“Hepatitis C is a major global health issue – a ‘viral time bomb.’
It is clearly an important public health problem in Los Angeles
County,” said Dr. Robert Kim-Farley, MD, MPH, Director, Communicable
Disease Control and Prevention, Los Angeles County Department of
Public Health.
“Our mission is to have a concerted effort to address this health
issue countywide. With the additional resource of a coordinator, we
will be able to expand and enhance our current activities.
Collaborations with internal and external partners will be key to
our success in raising awareness, providing treatment services and
delivering technical assistance to other partners working against
Hepatitis C.”
There are now more people in Los Angeles infected with Hepatitis C
than with HIV. Hepatitis C is a major cause of preventable death in
the county with syringe-sharing as the primary method of
transmission. Sexual transmission among men who have sex with men is
also increasing the Hepatitis C epidemic.
“The new Coordinator position is essential to addressing the needs
of those with Hepatitis C and stopping the spread of the blood-borne
virus. Despite the known and unknown number of Angelenos infected
with Hepatitis C, the health crisis is not getting the attention it
demands. The new county position will help change that,” according
to Brian Risley, Co-Chair, Hepatitis C Task Force for Los Angeles
County.
For more information on the Hepatitis C Task Force or Hepatitis C,
please visit
http://www.hepctaskforcela.org
### |
