Unseen, Uncounted, and Undiagnosed Faces of Hepatitis C Virus

In 1981, as the HIV/AIDS epidemic emerged in the U.S., the medical and media communities focused on gay white men. Today, the face of HIV/AIDS is African American. This disease has taken far too many of our leaders and pioneers, moms and dads, sisters and brothers, and friends and confidantes.

We are 13 percent of the U.S. population but represent approximately 50 percent of new AIDS cases; the majority of the new HIV/AIDS infections are women under the age of 30; and it is one of the leading causes of death for African American women under the age of 44.

Today, African Americans face a new epidemic, one that is 10 times more infectious than HIV/AIDS.  This new and deadly epidemic is the Hepatitis C virus (HCV), the silent epidemic, the chronic blood-borne virus that is the leading cause of liver disease, liver cancer and premature death.  Currently there is no HCV vaccine.  Approximately, 70 to 80 percent of those infected with HCV are unaware they have the virus; therefore they do not seek treatment, and unknowingly infect others.

The transmission of HCV is similar to HIV/AIDS -- primarily through contaminated blood. Its  primarily migration pattern is from the correction systems where up to 30 to 40 percent of inmates have HCV and return to their communities uninsured, untreated and undiagnosed.

Approximately 80 percent of HIV/AIDS infected individuals who have a history of injection drug use are co-infected with HCV. The co-infections of HIV/AIDS and the continued injecting drug and alcohol abuse increases the deterioration of the liver and premature deaths.

Today more people are dying of HCV than HIV/AIDS.

Wings for Life and the Black AIDS Institute are joining forces to build public awareness, provide viable links to resources, and identify the social and economic costs associated of HCV on African Americans.

Theresa Hughes is founder and president of Wings for Life.