World Hepatitis Day, 2014

Proclamation 9151 of July 25, 2014

World Hepatitis Day, 2014

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Around the world, one in twelve people are living with
viral hepatitis. In the United States, millions of
Americans are infected with this life-threatening
disease, with more than two-thirds unaware of their
infection status. Viral hepatitis can persist
undetected for many years before revealing any
symptoms, leading to long-term liver damage and
thousands of American deaths each year. As we mark
World Hepatitis Day, we strengthen our resolve to
defeat this silent epidemic.

All forms of viral hepatitis pose serious health
threats, but building public awareness can help prevent
new cases and more effectively treat this disease. A
safe and effective vaccine protects against hepatitis A
and B. While there is no vaccine for hepatitis C, early
detection and therapy can prevent liver damage,
cirrhosis, and liver cancer; reduce the risk of death;
and potentially cure the infection.

Though this disease can affect anyone, viral hepatitis
impacts certain communities more than others. African
Americans, American Indians, Asian American and Pacific
Islanders, the baby boomer generation (those born
between 1945 and 1965), and people living with HIV are
all disproportionately affected by viral hepatitis.
Incidence rates are also higher among people who inject
drugs. We must ensure these hardest hit populations
have information about screening, preventing, and
treating viral hepatitis. And we must do more to
address related health issues such as HIV and substance
abuse.

Through the Affordable Care Act, my Administration has
made major strides in expanding access to viral
hepatitis prevention, care, and treatment. New health
plans must now cover hepatitis C routine screening for
individuals at high-risk and one-time screening for
adults born between 1945 and 1965. These preventive
services will allow more Americans to know their status
and seek treatment.

Earlier this year, my Administration updated our
Nation's first-ever comprehensive Action Plan for the
Prevention, Care, and Treatment of Viral Hepatitis.
Alongside Federal, private, and non-profit stakeholders
across our country, we will continue to strengthen our
Nation's response. Together, we can raise awareness,
reduce the number of new cases, and save lives.

Thanks to the tireless leadership of researchers and
advocates, we are beginning to break the silence
surrounding viral hepatitis. Today, we once again raise
our voices, educate our at-risk communities, and
support those living with this disease.

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, 2014, as
World Hepatitis Day. I encourage citizens, Government
agencies, non-profit 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-fifth day of July, in the year of our Lord two
thousand fourteen, and of the

Independence of the United States of America the two
hundred and thirty-ninth.