World Hepatitis Day, 2011

Vol. 76

Monday,

No. 147

August 1, 2011

Part VI

The President

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Proclamation 8696--World Hepatitis Day, 2011

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Title 3--
The President

Proclamation 8696 of July 27, 2011

World Hepatitis Day, 2011

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Across our Nation, millions of Americans are living
with viral hepatitis. As many as three-fourths of
Americans living with the disease are unaware of their
status and are not receiving care and treatment for
their condition. Raising awareness about hepatitis is
crucial to effectively fight stigmas, stem the tide of
new infections, and ensure treatment reaches those who
need it. On World Hepatitis Day, we join with people
across our country and around the globe in promoting
strategies that will help save lives and prevent the
spread of viral hepatitis.

Viral hepatitis is inflammation of the liver, and can
cause a lifetime of health issues for people who
contract it. Hepatitis B and C viruses are the cause of
a growing number of new liver cancer cases and liver
transplants. In the United States, hepatitis is a
leading infectious cause of death, claiming the lives
of thousands of Americans each year. While we have come
far, work still needs to be done to prevent and treat
this disease.

Viral hepatitis touches Americans of all backgrounds,
but certain groups are at greater risk than others.
Past recipients of donated blood, infants born to
mothers infected with viral hepatitis, and persons with
sexually transmitted diseases or behaviors such as
injection-drug use have risks for viral hepatitis. Baby
boomers and African Americans have higher rates than
others of contracting hepatitis C. Half of all
Americans living with hepatitis B today are of Asian
American and Pacific Islander descent, and one-third of
people living with HIV also have either hepatitis B or
hepatitis C. Worldwide, one in twelve people is living
with viral hepatitis.

We must make sure that this ``silent epidemic'' does
not go unnoticed by health professionals or by
communities across our country. Under the Affordable
Care Act, services including hepatitis immunizations
for adults and hepatitis screenings for pregnant women
are fully covered by all new insurance plans. My
Administration has also released a comprehensive Action
Plan for the Prevention, Care and Treatment of Viral
Hepatitis. The plan brings together expertise and tools
across government to coordinate our fight against this
deadly disease. Our goal is to reduce the number of new
infections, increase status awareness among people with
hepatitis, and eliminate the transmission of hepatitis
B from mothers to their children.

The first step toward achieving these goals is raising
public awareness of this life-threatening disease. We
must work to reduce the stigma surrounding hepatitis,
and to ensure that testing, information, counseling,
and treatment are available to all who need it. The
hard work and dedication of health-care professionals,
researchers, and advocates will help bring us closer to
this goal. On this day, we renew our support for those
living with hepatitis, and for their families, friends,
and communities who are working to create a brighter,
healthier future.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the
United States, do hereby proclaim July 28, 2011, as
World Hepatitis Day. I encourage citizens, Government
agencies, nonprofit

organizations, and communities across the Nation to
join in activities that will increase awareness about
hepatitis and what we can do to prevent it.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
twenty-seventh day of July, in the year of our Lord two
thousand eleven, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and thirty-sixth.