NEW YORK, May 18 (UPI) -- OraSure said it is working with Walgreens and health groups to provide free hepatitis C tests in New York, Chicago, Houston, St. Louis and Washington.
Dr. Jay Varma, deputy health commissioner of New York City, said the Check Hep C NYC program was launched Friday by The Fund for Public Health in New York in partnership with the New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene Office.
The city-wide initiative will provide hepatitis C community-based services, including rapid hepatitis C testing for New Yorkers at risk for hepatitis C. The program will aim to test at least 5,000 persons for hepatitis C using the OraQuick hepatitis C virus rapid test.
"With the release of a new hepatitis C virus rapid test, more individuals will become aware of their hepatitis C status and will need hepatitis C virus-related services," Varma said in a statement. "It is imperative that New Yorkers with hepatitis C be linked with healthcare and human services providers in their communities, and Check Hep C is designed to get this done as effectively as possible."
Additional OraQuick hepatitis C virus testing initiatives are also taking place in other U.S. cities.
It is estimated up to 75 percent of those infected with the hepatitis C virus are unaware of their status, and they might also be unaware the hepatitis C virus can be treated with medications.
Read more
Find Hepatitis Testing Year Round Near You
Locate organizations offering Hepatitis testing and additional services vaccines and treatment in the NPIN Organizations Database.
No comments:
Post a Comment