ABOUT HEPATITIS:::

• Hepatitis is a viral infection that attacks the liver, which can lead to liver cirrhosis, liver cancer, and eventually liver failure.
• Hepatitis is transmitted via blood transfusions, sharing/reusing needles, unprotected sex, direct contact with blood or open wounds. It is not transmitted via air, food, water, breastfeeding, saliva, sneezing, coughing, or sharing utensils.
• Hepatitis (especially Hepatitis B virus) is often not diagnosed because there are no symptoms until the very late stages when it is too late for treatment. Furthermore, symptoms that do appear are often mistaken for influenza: fever, fatigue, muscle/joint pain, loss of apetite, nausea, etc.
• Everyone should take the following precautions:
  • Get TESTED!
  • Get VACCINATED!
  • Get INVOLVED!

Statistics:::

• In the US, approximately 60,000 people become infected with hep each year.
• 5000 people die each year from HBV in the US
• An estimated 1.25 million US Americans are chronically infected with HBV. Of this, 67% are Asian Americans/Asian Pacifics.
• 1/3 of the world's population = 2 billion people are currently infected with HBV
• Approximately 1 million people in the world die each year due to hepatitis, which comes out to be: 2800 deaths per day, 115 deaths per hour, and 1-2 deaths per minute.
• Despite the widespread availability of the hepatitis B vaccine, immunization rates are low!

Message from the Director- Mai-Ly Duong:

Hello! This is the most important project that I have ever ventured into. My passion for this event is driven by personal as well as community goals. This has personal importance to me because I lost my father to Hepatitis B. With only a few short months before I graduate from the University of Arizona, I would like to leave the message of hope. I hope this event not only raises awareness about hepatitis amongst our Tucson and Phoenix communities, but also within the Asian American community. More importantly, I hope this will be an opportunity for our youth to unite against a cause that is not often in the limelight. Furthermore, because there is yet to be a walk or run for hepatitis in the state of Arizona, I hope this event grows and grows over the years. United together, this health disparity will become extinct!

PLEASE HELP US BY UNITING AGAINST HEPATITIS!